Five Talking points from Cambodia’s 2-1 defeat to Myanmar

Five Talking points from Cambodia’s 2-1 defeat to Myanmar

Cambodia were narrowly beaten 2-1 by Myanmar in the international friendly match at home this Thursday, and it is their tenth defeat to Myanmar in their last eleven encounters since 1996, if according to 11v11.com

The followings are what we learned from Cambodia’s disappointing loss in front of thousands of their supporters.

1- Myanmar, who are by far one of the top ASEAN’s teams, can still enjoy their winning run against Cambodia after securing a tough 2-1 win in an entertaining match against the host Cambodia.

2- Cambodia conceded five goals from their last two encounters with Myanmar, with three of Myanmar’s five goals scored from set pieces.

3- Myanmar’s center-back Zaw Min Tun and forward Aung Thu are unstoppable against Cambodia in their last two meetings. Myanmar’s No. 3 has scored three goals inside Cambodia’s dangerous box through headers, while Aung Thu bagged two goals and one assist.

4- Cambodia’s main forward didn’t strike. It’s a night to forget for Cambodia’s hotshot Chan Vathanaka, who was to blame for Cambodia’s defeat, after failing to convert two clear chances into goals, which cost Cambodia a match.

5- Coach Prak Sovannara has never won against Myanmar. Prak Sovannara was unveiled as Cambodia’s interim head coach on October 27th, 2017, and it is his third spell as the head coach of Cambodia. The 45-year-old has led Cambodia to face Myanmar three times with three defeats (7-1, 3-2, 2-1).

Both sides could have used this Thursday’s international friendly match in preparation for their AFC Asian Cup qualifiers clash as Cambodia welcome Jordan, while Myanmar make a trip to India.

Full-time match graphic courtesy of Football Federation of Cambodia
Photo of Cambodia’s head coach Prak Sovannara courtesy of Football Federation of Cambodia
Photo of Cambodia’s Chan Vathanaka (in blue jersey, No. 11) courtesy of Post Sport/Chey Virak
Photo of Myanmar’s Zaw Min Tun (in red, No. 3) courtesy of Myanmar Football Federation
Photo of Myanmar’s Aung Thu (in red, No. 9) courtesy of Myanmar Football Federation