Defending champions Phnom Penh Crown sealed their place in the grand final of the Mefone C League playoffs after brushing aside Cambodian Tiger FC 2-1 in the second leg of the semi-final play off that gave them a 6-2 aggregate win at the Western Stadium yesterday.

Crown await the winners of the other semifinal between Boeung Ket and NagaWorld in the double leg championship showdown fixed for November 22 and December 12. NagaWorld won the first leg 3-1 on Sunday and the return clash at the Olympic Stadium has been fixed for November 7.

There is one last competitive fling left for the Tigers when they meet either Boeung Ket or Naga in the third place playoff on November 21 and December 11. Irrespective of the order of their finish, this season will go down as their best in three attempts, twice as TriAsia. Last season the side finished fifth.

The Tigers faced an uphill task when they got onto the pitch. The verdict was much closer this time than last Sunday’s 4-1 win on Crown’s turf but the five-time champions were never seriously tested after Odion Obadin and Shane Booysen had given them a 2-0 lead well before the half hour mark.

It was three minutes before the end that there was some drama of sorts after Befolo Mbarga pulled one back for the Tigers and a minute later a goal was disallowed for offside. But these moments aside, Crown always seemed to dictate the tempo and terms, enjoying in the bargain plenty of possession and space.

There were a few attempts by the Tigers worthy of a good shout but the side clearly needed a lot more pluck and finishing power than they could muster on the day.