Sovannara's AFC epilogue

Prak Sovannara remains upbeat and positive as always

Cambodia returned home from the AFC Challenge Cup in Bangladesh without qualifying for next year's finals but gained valuable competition experience for their young squad and national team coach Prak Sovannara remained upbeat about his team's results when I spoke to him on Saturday. "I saw the players visibly grow in confidence as the tournament progressed and with such a young squad that gives me confidence for the future. Players like Samreth Seiha, Khim Borey and Keo Sokngorn, all teenagers, have many years to improve and grow in the national team. They played with a lot of freedom against Myanmar and that pleased me so much. The team spirit was there for all to see, our teamwork was good and we played confidently, they followed my instructions and we deserved better results against both Macau and Myanmar for the football we played. I am frustrated we didn't qualify, we were good enough as a team and with better finishing and a bit of luck, we could've gone to the finals."

His overall impression from the tournament was one of promise for the future. "I was very pleased to see such a big improvement with our defending, we have made great strides in restricting our opponents goal threat. We had to work hard in midfield and now we need to work on improving our attack, especially finishing and supporting our strikers. One of the few disappointing aspects of our play in Bangladesh, was our failure in front of goal. Against Macau we had a hatful of opportunities to score, and we didn't. And again against Myanmar we had perfect chances to score, so this is something we really need to work on, as a team unit, not just our strikers." The head coach was quick to shower praise on his players, picking out three players who really impressed him in Bangladesh. "I was really pleased with Teab Vathanak on the left side of midfield. He had a long injury lay-off last year and he came back so strongly in the games against Macau and Myanmar, he was excellent. Also centre-half Om Thavrak played so well, his commitment was very good. And Keo Sokngorn is a wonderful prospect at just 17 years old. He always gives 100% and has great talent. I have to be careful not to expose him too quickly but he is a player with a very big future ahead of him."

Prak Sovannara is now focused on the future. "The next task is to build the team up for the SEA Games at the end of the year and I hope I will be given the oppportunity to do that. I would like a series of friendly matches both home and away to strengthen our team as a unit, work on areas that need improving and to continue the progress I saw in Bangladesh. This team can only get better." He added, "I have a couple of players in mind who will add something extra to the squad and we will see what the new Cambodia League season will produce too. I have taken on the coaching duties at Preah Khan Reach for the coming season and that will see me involved on a regular basis with a club side again. We have three Khmer players coming over from abroad very soon so that will add some extra interest too." For now, the focus will be on the new Cambodia Premier League season which kicked-off on Saturday though the Football Federation must arrange a program of friendly matches and squad getogethers for the national team before they travel to Laos for the SEA Games competition in December.

Press clippings

My article in today's Phnom Penh Post

Note: To read the article in the Phnom Penh Post, click here.

Bubble is burst

Cambodia's AFC Challenge Cup dreams are over for another two years as they lost to a solitary goal in the fourth minute of injury time against the Group A winners Myanmar in Dhaka late this afternoon. With Myanmar needing just a point to secure the automatic qualification place, they made sure of top spot with their 94th minute winner from Win Thein after Cambodia had more than held their own for the majority of the game. Cambodia national coach Prak Sovannara, needing a win to retain any hope of qualifying, tinkled with his offensive-looking team line-up and it appeared to be going to plan with Cambodia holding their much-fancied opponents, and creating a couple of guilt-edged chances before that cruel late winner in time added on. Sovannara said, "We played good football throughout the match but were unfortunate to miss some close chances. The free-kick which bounced off the bar post was unbelievable but things like this happen and we just need to pick the pieces from here and play better next time." A crowd of 2,500 watched the game at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka in cooler conditions than of late. The Cambodia line-up was: Seiha, Chanbunrith (61 Sokngorn), Raksmey, Tiny, Thavrak, Borey, Vathanak, Sokumpheak, Laboravy (46 El Nasa), Narith (73 Ravy), Sovannarith. subs (not used) Mic, Chanthan, Rady, Pichseyla. Cambodia return home tomorrow, having finished third in their group on three points after hosts Bangladesh defeated Macau 3-0 in their evening kick-off to clinch the runners up spot and the last place in next year's finals.

If...

Ever the optimist, I've been trying to get my head around the rules and regulations of the AFC Challenge Cup qualifying games as Group A enters its final stage later today in sunny Dhaka. Myanmar lead the group on six points and to most observers look favourites to qualify, needing just 1 point against Cambodia in their 4.30pm kick-off. But if Cambodia can raise their game and win, that will put a completely different reflection on qualification. If Cambodia beat Myanmar, and score enough goals then it will all rest on the Bangladesh versus Macau match tonight and come down to goal difference, as the hosts will be expected to beat the minnows. And once Group A is decided, then the AFC will have to determine the best ranked of the runners up who'll join the following teams, already through to next year's finals; India, North Korea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Sri Lanka. And that's when it starts to get a bit tangled up in the various nuances of the competition's regulations.

Why you ask? Well, it's all to do with next year's eight-team finals in India (to be played in July 2010). The last of the qualifying spots will go to the best ranked runners up out of the four qualifying groups. That would've been easy to pick the best ranked based on points accrued or goal difference or even greater number of goals scored. However, the fly in the ointment is that the number of teams in the groups became lopsided when Afghanistan withdrew. That means the qualifiers will have played an unequal number of group matches so to ensure equality, a comparison mechanism needs to be adopted. The AFC version states that all teams must be compared across a similar number of matches, and their decision is that the result of matches between the runners up and the bottom-placed team in the group will be considered null and void. All points and goals will not be taken into account. And the best ranked runners up will then be based on the following criteria: greater number of points, goal difference, greater number of goals, fewer yellow/red cards or drawing lots.

Are you still with me? Lots of ifs and buts of course but that's always the way with qualifying group stages in major competitions. Qualification from Group A rests on the two matches being played in Bangladesh later today and they are both finely poised to bring us the thrills and spills of knock-out football. I wouldn't have it any other way.
You can read the AFC competition regulations here.

Press clippings

My article in today's Phnom Penh Post - click to enlarge

Note: To read the Macau match report in the Phnom Penh Post, click here.

Cambodia success

I've just walked in the door to be greeted with news that Cambodia beat Macau 2-1 this afternoon in their AFC Challenge Cup qualifying match, though I know the national coach was aiming to score a lot more goals. Nevertheless, a win was their target and that's what they achieved, with the goals coming from Teab Vathanak after 12 minutes and youngster Keo Sokngorn (pictured) on 66 minutes. Macau got their solitary goal fifteen minutes from time through Che Chi Man. A crowd of 6,000 watched the game played in the blistering afternoon heat, recorded at a roasting 39C. True to his word, Cambodian coach Prak Sovannara changed his line-up from the team that lost on the opening day, bringing in Om Thavrak, Khoun Laboravy and Sokngorn into the starting eleven, though two substitutions just after the half-hour mark, gave the team a different look in the first-half. The Cambodia line-up was: Seiha, Chanbunrith (62 Narith), Raksmey (33 Pichseyla), Tiny, Thavrak, Borey, Sokngorn, Vathanak, Laboravy, Sovannarith, El Nasa (36 Sokumpheak). subs (not used) Mic, Rady, Ravy. More on the game as I get it.
In the evening kick-off, Myanmar defeated the hosts Bangladesh 2-1 as well, with two second-half goals from Pai Soe after the booters had taken an early lead. That leaves Cambodia and the hosts Bangladesh on three points apiece with identical records, whilst Myanmar lead the table with six points. There is still everything to play for in the two final games that'll take place on Thursday, though Cambodia will have the more difficult task of defeating Myanmar and by enough of a margin to win the group or finish as the best ranked runners-up out of the four qualifying groups. This is where it starts to get mind-boggling.

Press talk

In today's Phnom Penh Post, inside back page - click to enlarge

The Bangladesh game is now history as far as Cambodia are concerned. They now have to concentrate on winning their two remaining matches in the AFC Challenge Cup qualifying competition in Dhaka and will be gunning for goals in this afternoon's match against the minnows of the group, Macau. With Dhaka recording temperatures of over 38.7C, the highest in fourteen years, both teams will have to take account of the scorching afternoon heat but for Cambodia it's literally do or die in this match, a win, and a win by a good margin is essential to have any chance of going into their final match with Myanmar on Thursday with qualification still a possibility. They'll kick off at 4.30pm Cambodia-time, with the two winners from the first round of games, Bangladesh and Myanmar beginning their game at 7pm tonight. Cambodia beat Macau 3-1 in May last year at the last meeting of the two teams though will be seeking an even better result this time around, with coach Prak Sovannara promising a formation that will get at the Macau 5-man defence from the start.
Note: To read the Bangladesh match report in the Phnom Penh Post, click here.

Defeated but not down

If you believe the Bangladeshi press reports then their team fully deserved their success over Cambodia in last night's AFC Challenge Cup qualifying encounter, played in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka. As I didn't see the game myself, I can't agree or disagree, though the Cambodia national coach, Prak Sovannara (pictured), has given me his version of events by email, and they paint a somewhat different picture than the syndicated press reports. Bangladesh scored the game's only goal in the 73rd minute, a header from close range following a free kick. That one-goal separated the two teams, who are neck and neck in the FIFA world rankings, but it may not signal the end of Cambodia's hopes if they can win their next two games. The group winners will automatically go through to next year's finals, but so will the best ranked of the runners up from the four qualifying groups, so its important that Cambodia keep their sights firmly on winning their remaining two matches. And that's certainly what coach Sovannara is looking to do. "I was pleased with my players attitude and I am confident that if we keep doing all the right things, and can be more creative, we can win the next two games. We will need to score more goals against Macau and if we win the next 2 games, we still hope to qualify, depending on the other results."

As for the match against Bangladesh, Sovannara expressed his disappointment with the final result but was pleased with how his players performed. "My players put on a good performance from start to finish. They showed a good team spirit, good discipline and a great attitude against the hosts. We kept our focus, even when we went 1-0 down and if we had taken our chances the result could've been different. If we keep doing that, we will succeed. The players followed my instructions, but they showed too much respect to Bangladesh and I want them to be more creative in the next games. I will change the team against Macau for tactical reasons as we need to play more offensively with three strikers and two supporting from midfield and on the flanks from full-back as well. Pok Chanthan suffered an injury in the first game and the other changes I made in the game were tactical. I believe we can still win the next two games."

How did he view the Bangladesh game? "The Cambodia team played well according to our game plan and strategy. My starting eleven were selected since the training camp in Vietnam, though I changed it after half an hour and took off Vathanak, to give more cover to the defense and to create more options down the flanks. We allowed Bangladesh to have the ball, so we sat back and then counter-attacked as soon as we got the ball, especially down the flanks where the opponents were weaker. We were unlucky when Laboravy missed a great 1-on-1 situation with the goalkeeper just before half-time. The 0-0 score at half-time was a good platform for us." The second-half showing from Cambodia was much stronger as the coach explains. "After assessing our opponents, we changed our tactics and attacked more, again along the flanks and we put more pressure on them when we lost the ball. This improved our play and we got two good chances through Sokumpheak and El Nasa, but didn't score. I also made a switch with Sokngorn replacing Borey. But we lost a goal on 73 minutes when we made a mistake in a dangerous area and they scored from the free-kick. I immediately replaced Narith with Ravy and despite being a goal down, we stayed focused and fought well but we couldn't recover the goal." The result has left Cambodia needing two wins to have any hope of qualifying, and their first test will be against the minnows of Macau on Tuesday afternoon in a must-win game for Sovannara and his Cambodia squad.

Cambodia beaten

I don't have many details aside from the bare match facts but the final score in Cambodia's opening AFC Challenge Cup qualifying game against the host nation Bangladesh this evening, was a frustrating 1-nil reverse, with Enamul Haque scoring on 73 minutes for the home country. It was their first win in three years. I'm gutted as you might expect, we needed a draw at least, especially as expected, Myanmar beat Macau 4-0 in the opening game with two goals in each half, and that gives the two winning teams a great start with three points apiece. The starting line-up for Cambodia for tonight's game was, on paper, a very offensive-looking unit: Seiha, Chanbunrith, Raksmey, Tiny, Chanthan, Borey (66 Sokngorn), Vathanak (30 Laboravy), Sokumpheak, Narith (77 Ravy), Sovannarith, El Nasa. subs (not used); Mic, Thavrak, Rady, Pichseyla. Attendance: 8,060.

A sight we didn't want to see, as Bangladesh celebrate their 1 goal success against Cambodia [The Daily Star, Bangladesh]

AFC press talk

If you thought football was off the agenda until after tonight's opening AFC Challenge Cup qualifier between the host nation Bangladesh and Cambodia, then think again. The 4 participating teams spoke at the official press conference yesterday amidst a heat wave that has gripped Bangladesh and the capital Dhaka in temperatures that topped 38.5C, as well as forcing acute electricity and water shortages on the city's inhabitants. The Brazilian coach of Bangladesh, Dido, has said that his team's best form of defense will be to attack Cambodia from the start of their evening match, after Myanmar face Macau in the opener earlier this afternoon. He said he knew nothing about the Cambodian team and had problems in attack as his two main strikers have been carrying injuries. Meanwhile, Cambodia's national coach Prak Sovannara said; "We are here to win against Bangladesh as well as against Myanmar and Macau and wins against all of them will take us to the finals if we don't squander the opportunities." He felt he was 70% confident of a win over the hosts and that the scorching heat would not affect his players. "I see no difference compared to our country and I don't think it will hamper our performance."
As for Macau and Myanmar, they begin the qualifying tournament in the mid-afternoon heat and that will be a tough ask in anyone's book. Macau are the underdogs of the competition but have been together for a year and a half according to their coach, so aren't afraid of anyone. Myanmar have brought a young team to the qualifiers, comprising of under-23 players as their coach searches for the next generation of senior players. All of the games will be shown live on Bangladesh television and will be played at the 36,ooo-capacity Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka.