Tigers stun Crown with last minute equaliser
CAMBODIAN Tiger turned a seemingly lost cause into an honourable 2-2 draw with a stoppage time equaliser against Phnom Penh Crown in their Metfone-C League tie at the RSN Stadium on Sunday evening. The draw means Crown share third spot in the table with Boeung Ket Angkor.
In the day’s other fixture at the Old Stadium, new comers Electricite du Cambodge defeated AEU 1-0 to move up to fifth in the standings with 10 points from six matches.
The Siem Reap-based Tiger led by an eighth minute goal but Crown hit back i n t he second session to lead wit h 10 minutes left. It was wit h t he final kick that Um Kumpheak turned in Timothy Okereke’s cross to earn a point for his side.
The game was originally scheduled to be played in Siem Reap, but due to the unplayable condition of the pitch, the Tiger requested a change to Crown’s home ground.
Crown paid for playing to the whistle as the offside flag they hoped would go up never did and Dzarma Bata gave Tigers an early advantage.
The six-time champions spurned a bunch of chances during the half and were fortunate to see Okereke miss soon after the break.
But past the hour mark Keo Sok- pheng got the equaliser and in the 79th minute the go ahead goal. And just when Crown were counting three points came that late dramatic twist.
“Conceding a goal in the last few seconds of the match against Cambodian Tiger left our players and staff deflated and disappointed, but that can happen in football. Now we concentrate on the next game – at RSN against Western on Saturday,” Crown posted on their Facebook page after the match.