Defending champions Boeung Ket routed National Police Commissary 5-1 under lights at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday to scale the top of the Metfone C-League table after Visakha could only draw with Phnom Penh Crown earlier in the day.
Brazilian Maycon Calijuri led a second half charge with a brace as the Blue Dragon notched up their third win in as many outings.
Though Hong Pheng scored in the 21st minute, Boeung Ket had to keep working hard until well past the hour mark to enhance their lead.
But once Maycon struck twice in the space of four minutes and Julius Oiboh banged in the side’s fourth goal moments later, Police resistance broken.
Samuel Ajayi made it 5-0 before South Korean No Dae-ho came up with a consolation strike for Police, whose only notable success this decade came when they won the Hun Sen Cup against long odds four years ago.
The season goes into a two-week break for the national team’s friendly against Laos on Wednesday and their final Asian Cup qualifying match against Afghanistan next Thursday.
NagaWorld moved into second spot in the standings two points behind Boeung Ket following their 3-0 win over Angkor Tiger, while newcomers Visakha and Crown occupy the next two places in the wake of their goalless draw.
Western Phnom Penh and Electricite du Cambodge find themselves at the bottom of the pile having lost all three matches so far.
Visakha and Crown draw
The fascinating duel between newcomers Visakha and six-time champions Phnom Penh Crown ended in a goalless draw at the Western Stadium on Sunday evening, with both sides drawing on the resources of their foreign players to the fullest possible extent.
With Visakha showcasing their strength in winning their first two matches and Crown earning a well merited 2-0 win over the National Defence Ministry last week, the matchup provided exciting possibilities.
Visakha started with four of their five North Korean imports to counter Crown coach Sean Sainsbury adding American Jonathan Campbell alongside new acquisitions Jorrin John of Antigua and Barbuda, Lesotho’s Sunny Jane and Japan’s Atsushi Shirota.
With eight foreign players and plenty of promising youngsters on both sides, the game produced its share of thrills although neither side could break the deadlock.
Away at the Svay Rieng stadium, Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng opened their winning account this season after two goalless draws, drubbing Electricite du Cambodge 5-1.
For Svay Rieng, Daisuke Kobayashi, Hoy Phalin, Sok Samnang, Shonari and Shane Booysen got on the scoresheet, while the lone consolation for EdC came from promising young Cambodian forward Mat Norun.
