Cambodia scored a morale-boosting 2-0 win over Timor Leste in an international friendly at the Olympic Stadium yesterday ahead of the national team’s double header against Chinese Taipei in the Qatar 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers playoff.

An 11th-minute goal by Phoung Soksana kept the 50,000 crowd happy during a lively first half that saw Keo Sokhpeng and Sok Sovann miss out on gilt-edged chances. Om Sereyrath also pulled off two good saves under the bar.

Chan Vathanaka’s arrival as a substitute for Sokhpeng after the breather was greeted with a roar of approval from the stands.

Within moments, he delivered a stinging free-kick that set off a frenzy in the Timor Leste box with the ball popping up high enough for Khuon Laboravy to nod it in for Cambodia’s second goal.

The national team leaves Phnom Penh today for Thursday’s first leg clash and coach Lee Tae Hoon could not have asked for a better build up.