Hanoi: They might be heading home early but a brave Cambodian side made the region sit up and take notice according to goalkeeper Um Vichet.

A win over Laos helped the Angkor Warriors to match their highest points total at the AFF Suzuki Cup and in a narrow loss to Malaysia and then competitive defeats to Myanmar and Vietnam the team showed that they are moving in the right direction under their new coaching staff.

The style that both of those new tacticians – Keisuke Honda & Felix Dalmas – wanted to implement was clear to see with an emphasis on possession-based football and patient buildup play and according to Um Vichet it’s one that the players are embracing.

“For Cambodia it’s fantastic because we’ve changed our play tactically and now we try to play with build up from the back and keep the ball.

“I think it looks like a new style for Cambodia so maybe in Southeast Asia they’re surprised about our tactics.”

If that surprise was evident in the current tournament the future is even brighter for Cambodia, according to the 24-year-old shot stopper, especially given the limited time that the new staff has had with the team.

“It’s just the start for us.

“It’s just two months that our coach and Keisuke have come to coach the Cambodia team so we need to improve step by step.

“We really hope that at the next tournament and competitions that we will be able to improve more and more.”