After losing to Indonesia, Keisuke Honda bids farewell to Cambodian football.

To squeeze through the narrow gap to the semi-finals of the SEA Games 32, the Cambodian U22 team needed to defeat Indonesia, while Myanmar had to draw or lose to the Philippines. In their final match, the host nation failed to meet both of these conditions.

Despite fielding a reserve team, the Indonesian U22 team still dominated the game against the squad led by Director Keisuke Honda.

U22 Indonesia dominated U22 Cambodia.

It seemed as though Indonesia would go into halftime with a lead. However, in the 45th minute, the stands at the Olympic Stadium erupted as number 14, Sovannmakara, equalized for Cambodia. From a corner kick on the right wing, defender Sovannmakara comfortably headed the ball into the far corner, the ball bouncing off the post and into the net, much to the astonishment of the Indonesian U22 defense.

The faint glimmer of hope for the home team was extinguished by U22 Indonesia just six minutes into the second half. U22 Indonesia's number 10 midfielder skillfully dribbled the ball outside the penalty area before unleashing a left-footed shot that deflected off a home defender and into the net.

In the other match played at the same time, Myanmar scored against the Philippines in the 55th minute. The number 3 player took advantage of the chaotic situation to finish from close range, finding the net against the bottom-ranked team.

Despite their best efforts, the Cambodian U22 team was unable to advance beyond the group stage of the 32nd SEA Games.

Having squandered numerous clear-cut scoring opportunities, the Cambodian U22 players had to accept a 1-2 defeat against Indonesia U22, and sadly bowed out of the SEA Games 32 in the group stage.

Following the defeat of the Cambodian U22 team, Technical Director Keisuke Honda is considering returning to playing as a player while also pursuing a coaching license.

"Honda and I will not continue coaching Cambodia after the 32nd SEA Games. I don't know yet. But Honda plans to return to playing and also pursue a coaching degree," coach Ryu Hirose said on the evening of May 10th, after Cambodia lost 1-2 to Indonesia and were eliminated from the group stage of the 32nd SEA Games on home soil.

Director Keisuke Honda expressed his disappointment at not being able to help the Cambodian U22 team qualify for the 32nd SEA Games.

Honda joined Cambodian football as Technical Director in 2018, while still a player. He coached online as he was still playing for clubs in Australia, Brazil, the Netherlands, Azerbaijan, and Lithuania.

Under Honda's leadership, Cambodia reached the SEA Games semi-finals for the first time in 2019, but lost 0-4 to Vietnam – who later won the gold medal. At that Games in the Philippines, the Japanese star coached online, while Felix Dalmas, a young Argentinian coach, was in charge of the team.

Keisuke Honda joined Cambodian football as Technical Director in 2018.

"Honda is very experienced. He has imparted his knowledge and helped the players improve a lot. Hopefully, the new coach will continue to build on that, helping Cambodian football develop further," added Mr. Hirose.

Ryu Hirose was registered as the head coach of Cambodia at the 32nd SEA Games. However, he only participated in press conferences; during the matches, Hirose remained in the dugout, allowing Technical Director Honda to fully direct the team on the field.

Keisuke Honda is retiring from Cambodian football after 5 years.

Speaking about the final match in Group A of the SEA Games, coach Hirose assessed Indonesia as a strong team, like Thailand and Vietnam, playing better and deservedly winning. According to him, Cambodia also played well, creating many opportunities, especially in the second half.

"Our problem is that we don't take advantage of opportunities, which could be due to physical condition, technique, or perhaps bad luck," coach Hirose said.