CPL concluded last Sunday

Thrilling climax

PPCFC line-up. Back Row LtoR: Vanthan, Ota, Dara, Sopanha, Obadin, Bunchhay. Middle Row: Narith, Sokumpheak, Sovan, Ratana, Njoku. Front Row: PPCFC Academy boys. 

In all the excitement, I nearly forgot the match report. Where do I start, as this match had a bit of everything and was a fitting climax to the Metfone C-League season. If this type of match doesn't get the juices flowing for Cambodian football fans, then nothing will. The Naga strikeforce was the expected threat against a makeshiftPhnom Penh Crown backline, decimated by suspensions to three key defenders, and so it proved. Hong Ratana had the first chance of the game, a back post header that he sent wide, on five minutes. On 11 minutes, with Naga's first real threatening move, Julius Oiboh crossed to the far post where Omogba Esoh was lying in wait behind Soeng Vanthan and his diving header went inside the near post beyond Peng Bunchhay's fingertips. Sun Sopanha sent a 25-yard free kick a few feet wide and Kingsley Njoku weaved past two defenders but fired into the side netting from an acute angle. Kouch Sokumpheak had his first chance when he raced onto San Narith's pass but his low drive was stopped at the foot of the post by keeper Phorn Ratana. Naga's next attack on 19 minutes brought a second goal as Oiboh found Esoh in the box, he cut inside Vanthan and gave Bunchhay no chance from 15 yards out. Two minutes later, Odion Obadin's far post header hit the arm of Soeung Monyroath and Crown were awarded a penalty. Kingsley Njoku grabbed the ball and rolled in the spot-kick, which was immediately cancelled out by referee Khuon Virak for encroaching. Njoku wasn't put off and rolled his second kick into the opposite corner to make it 2-1 with 22 minutes on the clock. Bunchhay in the Crown goal was on hand to deny Oiboh on the half hour and then watched as Esoh's inswinging corner kick rebounded off the cross-bar and was scrambled away to safety. In the final minute of the first half, Naga took advantage of a misplaced clearance by Chan Dara as Oiboh muscled his way past Vanthan, pushed Sok Sovan in the chest but got away with it, and then curled a superb finish over Bunchhay's head to make it 3-1 at the interval.

Crown's half-time substitute Sok Pheng made an early impression but his goal-bound drive in a melee was pushed out by Ratana and the striker then headed a Sun Sopanha corner kick over the top. On 55 minutes referee Virak turned a blind eye to an obvious penalty as Sokumpheak was sent sprawling in the Naga area after a mazy run as Crown forced the pace. Njoku fired over on the run before Chan Chaya replaced Hong Ratana on the hour. Naga's Teab Vathanak screwed a great chance wide before Crown got themselves back into the match with a second goal on 67 minutes. A foul on Sok Pheng 25 yards out saw Sopanha touch the free-kick to Kouch Sokumpheak, he shunted the ball on a yard before unleashing a powerful low drive through a forest of legs and into the bottom corner for 3-2. Pheng was in the thick of it again when he got on the end of a Sokumpheak headed flick but Ratana in the Naga goal was on hand to push his shot aside. Crown's best chance to equalize fell to Chaya, on 79 minutes, as Pheng and Sokumpheak combined to set him up with a clear sight of goal, but keeper Ratana got a strong hand to his powerful drive to send it over the bar. At the other end Chhim Sambo found himself in space ten yards out but Bunchhay cleared the danger with his legs. With the clock ticking down to five minutes left to play, Crown striker Kingsley Njoku came to the fore. A loose ball arrived at the striker's feet, he turned and sent a low drive from the edge of the penalty box inside the near post before setting off for a triple somersault in celebration. That made it 3-3 and Crown's championship credentials were there for all to see. In five minutes of added-on time, Naga's Chin Chom was denied by Bunchhay from close range and Crown's young striker Hong Pheng sent a skidding shot inches wide, before Chom watched in dismay as the final kick of the game was deflected wide. It ended all-square and a fabulous advertisement for the Metfone C-League.
Crown line-up: Bunchhay, Dara, Vanthan (S Pheng 46), Sovan (H Pheng 82), Obadin, Narith, Sopanha, Ota, Ratana (Chaya 62), Njoku, Sokumpheak. Subs not used: Visokra, Bunna, Sophanal, Sophat, Rathanak, Virak, Sochivorn. Bookings: Njoku, Sopanha, S Pheng.

The Crown team and the Academy boys before the game begins 

The Crown bench before the match 

Sun Sopanha (23) leads out the champions for their final league match of the season 

The whole Naga squad line-up before the kick-off in a break with normal protocol 

Capturing the moment

Club captain Thul Sothearith collects the champions cheque from Minister of Sport Im Sothy 

When you win the league championship, there's never enough photographs to capture the moment. However, here's a few that I snapped at the time.

Sun Sopanha lifts the C-League championship trophy in celebration 

It's the start of the procession where each player holds the trophy aloft 

Kouch Sokumpheak captures a moment with the cup and his medal 

Crown head coach David Booth and some of his coaching team 

More moments with the cup 

The Crown players are milking the moment 

Head coach David Booth and his assistant Bouy Dary face the media after the game 

Awards galore

Crown's Peng Bunchhay with his cheque for the Best Goalkeeper award 

Prior to the presentation of the C-League championship cup to Phnom Penh Crown skipper Sun Sopanha, the rest of the end of season awards were handed out. The biggest shock of all was the award of the season's Best Player trophy to teenager Chea Samnang of Preah Khan Reach. Absolutely no-one could've seen that coming, chosen by the Football Federation officials, who decided to completely overlook the more obvious candidates like Kouch Sokumpheak, Sopanha and Odion Obadin and chose instead the young holding midfield player with the Military Police team. It was nothing short of completely clueless. The award to Julius Oiboh of the Top Scorer trophy was much more obvious, with the Naga hitman netting a record 28 league goals since joining the club at the start of the season. He's showed his power and his pace throughout the campaign and richly deserves his accolade. Best Coach goes to Naga's Prak Sovannara, almost by default as he's the only one who'd been in the job for the whole season, even though his team finished as runners-up. Crown's David Booth remained unbeaten in nine matches, winning eight of them, but that didn't sway the Federation judges. Best Goalkeeper rightly went to Crown stopper Peng Bunchhay, who with 11 clean sheets in 16 matches, collected his 2 million riels, but still can't convince the Cambodian national coach that he's worthy of a place in his squad. But then again, he's as equally clueless as the FFC officials. The best referee team went to Khuon Virak, who completely missed an obvious penalty for Crown in the final match, and his two linesmen Kim Pisal and Yien Kivatanak, and the 4th official, Thong Chankethya. The less said about them the better. Preah Khan Reach also picked up the Fair Play Award and a third place cheque as well.

Naga's Julius Oiboh scored 28 goals to collect the Top Scorer Golden Boot 

FFC President Sao Sokha gives the season's Best Player, Chea Samnang, his bronze medal 

The Best Referee Team. LtoR: Kivatanak, Chankethya, Virak, Pisal 

An incredible day

Crown celebrate with Kouch Sokumpheak and Sun Sopanha holding the cup aloft behind Sports Minister Im Sothy 

Let me get my breath back first...okay, got it. Phnom Penh Crown are the Metfone C-League champions, did I mention that already? I did, okay. This afternoon was the final game of the season against our rivals and the team who finished in 2nd spot, Naga Corp. It turned out to be a thrilling climax to the season, showing that both teams deserved to be in the top two places in the league table, with a 3-3 draw the final result. Naga's red-hot strikeforce took full advantage of Crown's makeshift backline with Omogba Esoh scoring twice on 11 and 19 minutes, only for Kingsley Njoku to reduce the arrears with a twice-taken penalty, just three minutes later. With chances going begging at both ends, Naga got a decisive third through the league's top scorer Julius Oiboh on the stroke of half-time. Crown piled on the pressure after the break with Kouch Sokumpheak sent sprawling inside the box but no whistle from the referee, though on 67 minutes, he did get Crown's second with a low drive through a forest of legs. With opportunities aplenty in both goalmouths, it was Crown who snatched a dramatic equaliser five minutes from the end of normal time with a second goal for Kingsley Njoku. A great advertisement for Cambodian football. After the match, Crown celebrated their championship success, receiving their medals and the cup from the Minister of Sport, Im Sothy.

The Crown squad pose with the cup and their medals after the presentation ceremony 

It's ours and I'm not letting go of the Metfone C-League championship trophy