Phnom Penh Crown’s undefeated run was finally undone during an away game with Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng on Sunday, January 26.

The tense encounter saw referee Iv Tina issue a total of 11 cards – two red and nine yellows – in an incident-packed match. Reduced to ten men, the current Cambodian Premier League (CPL) leaders were unable to hold back last year’s champions.

The result closed the point gap between the two teams to just one, with Crown sitting on 44 points and a resurgent Svay Rieng lurking close behind on 43.

Svay Rieng head coach Pep Munoz, expressed his satisfaction with the result.

“We are happy with today’s game. In the first 25 minutes of the first half, we performed very well, creating many chances to score. However, we know that Crown has high-quality players. They put pressure on us and managed to equalise towards the end of the first half,” he said.

Munoz noted that his squad played better and appeared to follow his strategy more effectively in the second half. He believed they could have scored even more, especially after Crown was reduced to 10 players in the 55th minute. Striker Pablo Agusto, who has just returned from injury, converted a penalty in the 90+2 minute during the 8-minute injury time. 

Referee Iv Tina issued two reds and nine yellows during the long awaited top-of-the-table clash. CPL

“After the penalty, we should have scored more. However, we are very happy to have Pablo back in action and thrilled with the support from our fans,” he added.

The heated match began with Svay Rieng forward Nhean Sosidan opening the scoring in the 5th minute. Crown striker Jelle Joost Goselink then equalised in the 36th minute.  

Tensions rose when Tina issued a red card to defender Yem Muslim in the 55th minute, following a reckless push on Taylor Doeung Nicolas near the penalty area.

Forced to play with just ten men left Crown under real pressure, with the inevitable finally happening in the 71st minute, as Gabriel Silva Costa slotted a second goal for the home team.

Adding to their troubles, Crown's assistant coach Anatolii Bondarenko, was also shown a red card in the 75th minute. 

The referee awarded a penalty to Svay Rieng in the 90+2 minute, after Crown captain Orn Chanpolin fouled Cristian Roque in the penalty area. Returning striker Pablo converted the penalty successfully.

Svay Rieng head coach Pep Munoz and assistant coach Matthew McConkey express their disbelief at an off-side call by the referee. CPL

In the 90+4 minute, substitute striker Min Ratanak scored another goal for Svay Rieng, but it was disallowed by the referee, who ruled it offside. 

The match saw several intense clashes, leading the referee to issue two reds and six yellows to Crown and three yellows to the home side.

 “The referee did a good job managing this challenging match, but it was not easy to make decisions in such a game. If the assistant referees had provided more support, perhaps some decisions could have been improved,” Munoz commented.

He suggested that the foul by Chanpolin on Roque could have warranted a second yellow card, which would have resulted in a red, as Chanpolin had already been booked in the 60th minute.

“In the second half, there were 2-3 offside calls that were questionable, especially Ratanak’s disallowed goal, which was not offside. Chanpolin should have received a second yellow card, which would have led to a red card,” he added.

“Awarding the penalty was one thing, but the foul should also have been punished with a yellow or red card. That said, overall, the referee did a good job,” he concluded.