Cambodian Premier League football season underway
With only eight clubs in its top division, it had been predicted that the CPL top tier’s season would be marked by a substantial parity between the sides. And now that the season is underway that was indeed largely how things played out over the weekend matches we saw.
The real excitement in opening weekend proved to be happening in the second tier of the CPL. Next Step FC beat 2021 C-League 2 Champions National Academy, in CPL 2 action. That was a fine start for a club making its debut as a pro team, but the big story of that match though was its status as the highest attended over the weekend. So, what other shocks did the opening weekend offer?
Well it turns out? Not so many, unless you were glued to CPL 2 action.
Cambodian Premier League 1 – 5th March
Overall, nothing too shocking unfolded during CPL week 1. It largely delivered the kind of results we expected. Visakha managed an easy 3-1 away win at Angkor Tigers. Boeung Ket also managed a 3-1 win at home to Nagaworld and defending champions Phnom Penh Crown had a goalless draw with Tiffy Army. The match between Svay Rieng and Kiriving Sok Sen Chey has been over to Tuesday due to Covid-19.
Svay Rieng FC vs Kiroving Sok Sen Chey FC (moved to Tuesday 8th March)
Angkor Tigers FC 1 vs Visakha FC 3
Tiffy Army FC 0 vs Phnom Penh Crown 0
Boeung Ket FC 3 vs Nagaworld 1
To read our interview with Conor Nestor click here.
To read about the Cambodian Premier League click here.
Cambodian Premier League 2 – 6th March
Loads of fun, lots of goals and at least one attendance record marked the debut weekend of CPL 2 play. Did the results come in as we expected? That’s hard to say, after all this is a league in which there are far more unknown factors than in its top-tier big-brother. There were however some high-scoring games and at least absolutely one shocker.
In one of the most exciting games, ISI Dangkor Senchey FC surprised Prey Veng FC with a 4-3 victory. Koh Kong smashed Tboung Khmum 7-1 away and AEU and EDCFC both won by 6-1 margins.
It was the 1-0 victory of newly formed Next Step FC over 2021 C-League 2 Champions National Academy that really caught peoples attention though. They notched the win but also managed to pack over 1000 fans into the stadium. That figure now stands as the record for Next Step FC and proved to be the highest gate for both CPL 2 weekend games and those played in the top-flight.
ISI Dangkor Sen Chey FC 4 vs Prey Veng FC 3
Asia Euro United 6 vs Siem Reap FC 1
Koh Kong FC 7 vs Tbong Khmum FC 1
EDC FC 6 vs Banteay Mean Chey FC 1
Next Step FC 1 vs National Academy FC 0
Soltilo Angkor FC 0 vs National Police FC 1
So, what did we learn?
Well for starters…the big 5, while not all winning, were still strong. Koh Kong proved their credentials for being in the race for promotion and the provincial clubs as we suggested earlier, did indeed struggle. Next Step FC though were the story of the day. The big question remaining being whether it was a flash in the pan, or not.
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Author: Leon Havana
A trained chef and sports aficionado with extensive experience across South America and Asia. Leon’s culinary creations celebrate local flavors, while his love for sports like football and boxing connects him with local communities.
