Timor Leste got its first win of the football competition Thursday night by beating Cambodia 3-2 at the SEA Games in Myanmar. (Photo: 27seagames2013.com)
Yangon — Timor Leste edged Cambodia 3-2 in a Group B match in men’s football to pick up their first win of the SEA Games 2013 competition Thursday night at the Youth Training Centre in Yangon, Myanmar.
Diogo Rangel became the hero when he scored the winning goal in the 87th minute, curling a free-kick from well outside the box into the far right corner.
Timor Leste did not get off to a good start, and could have been trailing by at least two goals at the break. Instead, they recovered nicely and headed into the break with a one-goal lead.
Cambodia missed a golden opportunity to take the lead early, but Bin Chantha Thearry missed a shot despite being unchallenged and having time to line up.
Cambodia did take the lead a few minutes later on Sos Suhana’s rebound of Phourng Soksana’s shot.
But Timor Leste drew even in the 28th minute on Jose Carlos Fonseca’s score, after picking up a loose ball after teammate Filipe Dos Santos missed.
The goal reportedly fired up the Timor Leste team, and they then got their second goal three minutes before the break when Pedro Gois took advantage of a defensive mistake, giving Timor a 2-1 lead.
After getting the equaliser, Cambodia missed several good opportunities in the second half that could have given them the lead. Instead, it was Timor Leste that scored the winning goal toward the end of the match.
Timor Leste has one last Group B match against arch rival Indonesia on Saturday. Cambodia now has three losses in the Games, and plays Thailand on Monday.
In the earlier match at the same venue on Thursday, Thailand beat Indonesia 4-1 to remain undefeated in the competition.
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