Cebu Football Club’s Daniel Gadia (6) battles for ball possession against Phnom Penh Crown FC’s Orn Chanpolin. | Photo from Phnom Penh Crown FC’s Facebook page.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The CFC Gentle Giants hopes of advancing to the AFC Cup knockout round were dashed after their 0-4 loss to Phnom Penh Crown FC, at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Thursday evening, November 30, 2023.
With the defeat, the Gentle Giants virtually kissed their bid to advance deeper into the AFC Cup goodbye after absorbing their third loss against one victory good for four points.
Meanwhile, the Cambodian club tightened its grip in the Group F standings with four wins and one defeat for 12 points. Australian club, Macarthur FC is at the top also with a 4-1 record but with a higher goal difference.
Phnom Penh Crown opened its scoring barrage in the 12th minute courtesy of Japanese forward Shintaro Shimizu.
Another Japanese, Yudai Ogawa made it 2-0 for Phnom Penh Crown with a goal in the 29th minute which stood at the halfway mark.
Cambodian winger Lim Pisoth finished the Gentle Giants with a brace, or two successive goals in the 67th and 79th minutes for the hosts’ dominating victory.
READ: CFC Gentle Giants eye upset win against Phnom Penh Crown FC in AFC Cup in Cambodia
Phnom Penh Crown outmatched CFC from all sides. They fired 29 shots with 10 on target compared to CFC’s five with one on target.
Also, they dominated the ball possession and made more passes than CFC.
Despite this huge setback, CFC still has a chance to finish the year with a third-place finish in the Copa Paulino Alcantara of the Philippines Football League (PFL).
The Gentle Giants have a scheduled battle-for-third match against the Stallions FC on December 9.
After that, they will face Macarthur FC in their last remaining AFC Cup group stage match on December 14 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.