The Cambodian national team shows a different face in each match.
(Baonghean.vn) - In this AFF Cup, under coach "Online" Honda, the "Angkor Warriors" fielded a different tactical formation in each match. Over three games, they lost two and won one, conceding six goals and scoring four, with prodigy Chan Vathanaka scoring two goals.
In the AFF Cup, Cambodia's performance was only better than Brunei and East Timor, and their repeated losses caused the "Angkor Warriors" to lose the necessary confidence. Japanese coach Keisuke Honda was the one who ignited the fighting spirit in the "warriors," and ultimately they secured a 3-1 victory against Laos after losing to Malaysia (0-1) and Myanmar (1-4).
Goalkeeper's Achilles' heel
It seems that coach Keisuke Honda didn't have time to experiment with the lineup, and for this AFF Cup, he decided to "assemble" the team as they play. Even the goalkeeper position, Um Vichet (22 years old), didn't perform well in the opening match against Malaysia. But when Keo Soksela (21 years old)...to start the match againstMyanmar also made two mistakes, so in the match against Laos, Um Vichet came on as the starting goalkeeper and continued to make errors. Goalkeepers are Cambodia's Achilles' heel in this AFF Cup.
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| Despite coach Honda's bold declaration, "We will defeat the Vietnamese national team in the final match," he did not travel to Hanoi with the team. (Image: Internet) |
So far, only 6 Cambodian players have been trusted to play in all 3 matches, the most stable of which is probably the defense with the central defenders Pheng Hong (25), Soeuy (5) and right back Krya (4). If in the Malaysia match, coach Keisuke Honda played with a 4-1-4-1 formation, in the match against host Myanmar they played with a 4-3-2-1 formation but when needing a win against Laos the Japanese coach played with a 4-3-3 formation.
No matter what formation it is, star Chan Vathanaka (11) leads the attack, this number 11 usually plays center forward or right winger. It is quite interesting that in the match against Laos all 3 attacking players Keo Sokpheng (9), Udom (7), Vathanaka all scored goals.
Apart from Udom's penalty, the other two goals were orchestrated by the Cambodian players, who seized opportunities. Vathanaka's close-range header gave goalkeeper Saymanolinh Paseuth no chance to save it. Keo Sokpheng extended Cambodia's lead to 3-1 from a well-placed pass from a teammate, lobping the ball over the Laotian goalkeeper.
The only star
Chan Vathanaka (nicknamed CV11) was born in 1994 in a small town called Kampot in southeastern Cambodia. This town, once famous for its salt and pepper production, is now known as the birthplace of one of Cambodia's most outstanding football prodigies.
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| Chan Vathanaka, the swallow of the Cambodian national team. Photo: Internet |
In 2012, Vathanaka began his professional football career at Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng before moving to Boeung Ket Angkor – one of Cambodia's top teams. This served as a springboard for Vathanaka: he won the 2012 Young Player of the Year award, the top scorer of the 2013 Hun Sen Cup, and the best player of the 2014 C-League national football championship...
In 2015, Vathanaka scored a total of 60 goals across all competitions, 37 of which were in the C-League – an achievement that earned him the "Golden Boot". In the recently concluded 2016 C-League season, the award returned to "CV11" as he scored 22 goals, notably a spectacular hat-trick in just 8 minutes in Boeung Ket Angkor's comeback victory against Svay Rieng. "CV11" achieved all of these accomplishments at the young age of 22…before moving to Pahang FA in Malaysia.
During his four years with the Cambodian national team, CV11 played 47 matches and scored 19 goals, including two goals in the 2018 AFF Cup. In the 1-2 home loss to Vietnam, Vathanaka scored a goal against goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung during the Asian qualifiers.
A resounding victory to top the group.
Final round of group stage: Malaysia andMyanmar will battle it out for a place in the semi-finals, while the Vietnamese team will host Cambodia without their "Online" coach.
If they manage a "rain of goals" against Cambodia, Coach Park Hang-seo's team will have a real chance to top Group A. Certainly, players like Cong Phuong, Anh Duc, and Van Duc will not miss such a golden opportunity, regardless of whether Um Vichet or Keo Soksela is in goal.
