Phnom Penh, the runner up of the last edition, qualified for the final round from Group B as did the two time champion Dordoi of Kyrgyzstan, which registered a landslide 11-2 win over Yeedzin FC of Bhutan. Dordoi had registered an emphatic 5-1 win over Police during their inaugural group stage match. [break]
Only top two teams from one group qualify for the final round. Both Dordoi and Phnom Penh have six points apiece, while Police and Yeedzin are in the third and fourth place respectively, with no points.
On Monday´s rain hit match, Police conceded the lone goal in the 21st minute. In the match delayed due to heavy downpour, Khim Borey of Phnom Penh Crown FC made a powerful strike from the area utilizing a defensive error to stun nervous Police goalie Ritesh Thapa, reports goalnepal.com, a football portal based in Nepal.
The first half of the match was fairly competitive with both sides coming up with some attack on post, but home team dominated the second half and piled up consistence pressure.
In the 36th minute, unmarked Police defender Rabin Shrestha squandered a chance to level scoring as he fired off the target from the area. A minute later Yogesh Shrestha´s header went straight at the hands of Phnom Penh custodian in Rabin´s cross.
Police, facing shortage of players, fielded its defender Rakesh Shrestha as midfielder in the 34th minute in place of Ramesh Katuwal but could not avert the fate. Police was also without its regular striker and Nepali international Jumanu Rai who was forced to remain in bench due to knee injury. Similarly, the departmental team was without another key striker Bharat Khawas who left the team about a month earlier.
In the second half, Police failed to make any remarkable attacks on target. On the other hand, Phnom Penh´s attacks rebounded off the pole twice. In the 55th minute, Kouch Sokumpheak´s strike from the area after beating goalie Thapa rebounded off the pole. Likewise, in the 75th minute, Ouk Sothy´s another attempt, again after beating goalie, hit the woodwork. In the injury time, Khim Borey hit inches wide from the pole in one-on-one with goalie Thapa.
Police made only a couple of attack on post after the interval but all of which were saved by goalie York Ary. Yogesh and Rakesh missed scoring chances for Police.
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