Kirivong Sok Sen Chey bring Prek Pra Keila down to earth with a bump on Sunday with a 5-0 thrashing, and Build Bright United reclaim top spot thanks to a 4-1 win over Chhma Khmao

Photo by: Nick Sells (www.nicksellsphotography.com)

Kirivong Sok Sen Chey’s Seng Kamsen (centre) gets tripped by Prek Pra Keila’s Philip Ali during their Metfone C-League match at Olympic Stadium Sunday.

THE Metfone C-League table has an obvious two-tier look to it. The top five teams are well ahead of the remaining five with Kirivong Sok Sen Chey poised at the head of the second grouping. After an indifferent start, the team from Takeo province will be looking to press on when the second half of the season begins in two weeks time.

For their final game of the first half of the campaign Sunday, they showed their mettle in disposing of a Prek Pra Keila team that had won their previous two games.

Prek Pra gave a good account of themselves early in the game, but it was Kirivong who opened the scoring on twenty minutes and never looked back. Julius Chukwumeka looked offside when he toe-poked the ball over the line from In Vichheka’s pass but the goal stood and Prek Pra heads dropped. A few minutes later Kirivong’s Vietnamese import, Lam Thanh Giang, raced forty yards from his own half but held his head in his hands as his delicately rolled shot rebounded off the foot of the post.

Chukwumeka repaid his teammate for the opening goal when he teed up In Vichheka twelve yards out, and the Kirivong striker walloped the ball into the roof of the net on 33 minutes.

Prek Pra’s Sos Souhana spurned the chance of a goal when he twice failed to beat Kun Thnou from close range during a goalmouth melee.

On the stroke of half-time, Kirivong netted a third and effectively sealed Prek Pra’s fate. Yok Ary in the Prek Pra goal has given a good account of himself this season despite his team’s meagre pickings, but even he was found wanting when he juggled and dropped a Tes Sophat cross onto the toe of In Vichheka, who couldn’t fail to score from a yard out.

Prek Pra’s cause wasn’t helped in the fourth minute of the second period when Sos Sanaphy hauled down In Vichheka in the penalty area, conceding a penalty and earning himself a red card in the process. Vichheka picked himself up and coolly slotted home the spot kick to claim his hat trick.

Despite a few promising Prek Pra incursions, their final ball let them down and Kirivong sealed their convincing win twelve minutes from time. Uk Thun weighed his pass perfectly and Julius Chukwumeka strode on and blasted the ball past Yok Ary from fifteen yards out. It was his ninth goal of the season and he should’ve claimed his own hat trick in time added on, but shot weakly with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Photo by: Nick Sells (www.nicksellsphotography.com)

Build Bright United’s Chhun Sothearath (right) and Chhma Khmao’s Pao Phearith vie for possession during their game Sunday.

BBU 4 Chhma Khmao 1

Though Build Bright United (BBU) had lost top spot in the Metfone C-League standings to Naga Corp the day before, Chhma Khmao’s woeful form gave them the opportunity to recapture their number one position, and they did it at a canter Sunday. In Nuth Sinoun BBU possess the league’s leading scorer and another two goals from him took his tally for the first half of the season into double figures.

For much of the first half, BBU pressed but couldn’t find the killer touch with skipper Prum Putsethy guilty of some ineffectual finishing. It took his midfield playmaking colleague Chhun Sothearath to show him how to do it four minutes before the break. A Chan Veasna corner was punched out weakly by Chhma Khmao keeper Chhay Raksmey Sovanara, and Sothearath lobbed the ball back with precision from twenty yards out for the opener.

A couple of minutes later and Nuth Sinoun was on the scoresheet to put BBU further ahead. Oum Chandara and Prum Putsethy linked up well to send Sinoun clear on goal, and he finished with the maturity and confidence as befits the his hotshot status.

Chhma Khmao substitute Sok Kolamara injected some pace into the Black Cats’ attack following his introduction, though he found BBU keeper Sos Proshim too big an obstacle to beat twenty minutes into the second half. Undeterred, Chhma Khmao continued to press forward and on 73 minutes they reduced the deficit. Ung Dara’s low drive was only half stopped by Sos Proshim and Meak Chhordaravuth nipped in to drill the ball in from a tight angle.

A minute later Sok Kolamara’s pace took him past the last man but Sos Proshim did well to keep out his angled drive at the foot of the post. That was the last flurry of activity from the league’s bottom-placed club as BBU reasserted their authority with two more goals in the last eight minutes.

On 82 minutes, substitute Chan Sokunthina played a one-two with Chhun Sothearath and took his chance well, with a neat finish, from ten yards. A couple of minutes before the final whistle, Oum Chandara broke menacingly down the left, unselfishly fed Nuth Sinoun, and the deadly marksman made no mistake with a clinical finish into the far corner.

It was a workmanlike winning performance from BBU, who took back top spot in the league table and will look forward to the second half of the league campaign with their confidence sky-high.