Svay Rieng striker Bounphachan Bounkong fires a shot past the Thanh Hoa goalkeeper in the January 22 match. He failed to find the net. Svay Rieng
Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC’s hopes of advancing to the semi-finals of the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup 2024/2025 were dashed last night.
The Cambodian Premier League champions could only muster a 0-0 draw in a “must win” match against Vietnam's Dong A Thanh Hoa, securing just one point at Thanh Hoa Stadium during the January 22 Group A match.
Svay Rieng dominated possession during the encounter – the fourth of their group stage matches – but were unable to capitalise on them and secure victory.
Head coach Pep Munoz explained that his team employed long-ball tactics to draw Dong A Thanh Hoa’s players into their own half and create chances by attacking from behind their defence.
The tactic appeared to be working, but ultimately failed to pay dividends.
Laos striker Bounphachan Bounkong came close to scoring with two opportunities in the first half. In the second half, substitute Narong Kakada also had a late chance to score but was denied by the Thanh Hoa goalkeeper.
Svay Rieng head coach Pep Munoz explains the game to assistant coach Matthew McConkey. Svay Rieng
“We started well, especially in the first half, where we had some good scoring opportunities. However, our level of play dropped slightly in the second half. We made some substitutions, but the home team increased the pressure. In the final minutes, Narong Kakada had a chance to score, but we couldn’t capitalise, costing us the three points,” Munoz told media after the match.
Despite the result, he praised his players for their determination and performance against a strong Vietnamese side. He noted that the poor pitch conditions hindered both teams from showcasing their best quality and satisfying the fans.
“The pitch made it difficult for us to play, especially against a team of such high calibre. They were strong throughout. As I said before the match, we came here to win and earn three points, but it wasn’t easy,” Munoz added.
He also reflected on his squad’s earlier matches. Svay Rieng lost to Thailand’s BG Pathum United (2-1) and Indonesia’s PSM Makassar FC (1-0) at home. He believed the team should have earned points from those matches, in addition to their opening 3-2 victory over Malaysia’s Terengganu FC on August 21.
Svay Rieng (blue) dominated possession against Thanh Hoa on Vietnamese soil, but were unable to capitalise on a questionable pitch. Svay Rieng
“In some of our matches in this tournament, we should have earned points, but our inability to finish our chances cost us. Against Thanh Hoa, we couldn’t perform as we had planned 100%,” the Spanish coach concluded.
In the other Wednesday night group stage matches, Terengganu FC defeated PSM Makassar FC 1-0 away, and BG Pathum United beat Shan United 4-1.
These results put BG Pathum at the top of Group A with 8 points, followed by Terengganu with 7 points, tied with PSM Makassar. Dong A Thanh Hoa sits fourth with 6 points and still have a chance to progress if they win their final match against Makassar.
Svay Rieng, however, are eliminated, sitting fifth with 4 points, even though they have one match remaining against Shan United, who have lost all four of their games.
