It was a case of damage limitation for Cambodia at the Saitama Stadium in Japan on Thursday night as their opponents managed to find the net only three times despite a barrage of chances throughout the World Cup qualifier.
Some brave, back-to-the-wall Cambodian defending, along with some dire Japanese finishes were all that stood between a far heavier defeat for the visitors in Midori-ku, as the home team predictably controlled the game throughout in a bid to silence critics after a shock 0-0 draw against Singapore in their first qualifier in June.
Despite the home side posing a threat from the start, the Cambodians went behind in disappointing fashion, as a speculative left foot drive from AC Milan star Keisuke Honda slipped through the gloves of Sou Yaty into the roof of the net in the 28th minute.
Cambodia’s only attempt on goal came through a Kouch Sokumpheak header after some lackluster marking from the hosts left him free in the box in the 35th minute, but his effort was comfortably saved by Shusaku Nishikawa.
Yaty redeemed himself just before the break with an outstanding double save, which was followed by an embarrassing open goal miss from Borussia Dortmund playmaker Shinji Kagawa, leaving the game 1-0 at halftime.
Any hopes of an upset were quickly put to bed after the break as Maya Yoshida hit a 20-meter shot into the net and Kagawa made amends for his earlier miss with a tidy finish after the Cambodian defense failed to clear its lines on the hour mark.
Despite an onslaught of chances in the last half hour, Japan failed to inflict further damage.
Fans who braved the rain to watch the match on a large screen erected on Phnom Penh’s Koh Pich island were upbeat about their team’s efforts, despite the three goal margin.
“It’s very good that we lost by only three goals because Japan shot up to 34 times…and I think the Japanese team tried really hard because they shook their heads. This reflects that they recognize Cambodia as a strong team,” said Ouk Raneth, an economics teacher at Phnom Penh’s Koh Dach High School.
Cambodia’s third loss in three games leaves them at the bottom of their group, and they will now prepare to face Syria at Phnom Penh’s Olympic Stadium on Tuesday.
