Niken Prathivi , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 08/23/2008 10:02 AM | Sports
Cambodia suffered a second crushing defeat in the Pertamina Independence Cup soccer tournament when it lost 7-1 to Myanmar at Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Friday.
The Cambodians were whitewashed 7-0 by Indonesia on the opening day of the tournament.
Myanmar, one of the region's stronger teams, displayed a quick pace in the first half of the game. They were rewarded early on for their efforts, with Khin Maung Lwin scoring in the seventh minute.
Cambodia then brought the score level when they were awarded a penalty after Myanmar goalkeeper Aung Aung Oo brought down Khim Borey in the 15th minute. Khim successfully took the penalty.
Anticipating a possible comeback by the Cambodians, Yan Paing's squad piled on the pressure. Yaza Win Thein restored his team's lead in the 21st minute, before adding his second as Myanmar ended the first half with a commanding 3-1 lead.
Five minutes into the second half, Myanmar, coached by Brazilian Marcos Antonio Folopa, went ahead 4-1 through Soe Myat Min.
The attacks did not ease off as captain Paing scored twice and Thein claimed a hat trick to stamp their domination in the game watched by around 100 spectators.
"It was a good game and surprising," Folopa said after the match.
Despite their huge win, Folopa said his players faced stiff opposition from the Cambodians.
"It was not an easy game at all against Cambodia. Especially in the second half, because they were hungry for a goal," he said.
Cambodia coach Prak Sovannara blamed the defeat on his team's lack of preparation in the run-up to the tournament.
"We only had 10 days of practice," he said.
With two losses from two games, Cambodia is out of the tournament.
In the second match, Indonesia under-21 team went down 4-1 to Libya.
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