Vireak Dara

Last updated
Vireak Dara
Personal information
Full name Vireak Dara
Date of birth (2003-10-30) 30 October 2003 (age 22)
Place of birth Battambang, Cambodia
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng
Number 27
Youth career
2018–2020 Visakha
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2020–2022 Prey Veng
2022–2024 Visakha 17 (0)
2023–2024Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng (loan) 25 (0)
2024– Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng 38 (1)
International career
2019 Cambodia U19 3 (0)
2023 Cambodia U20 2 (0)
2021– Cambodia U23 1 (0)
2023– Cambodia 8 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20 December 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of 6 June 2025

Vireak Dara (born 30 October 2003) is a Cambodian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Cambodian Premier League [1] club Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng and the Cambodia national team.

Contents

Club career

On 19 November 2025, Dara broke two records where he scored just nine seconds after kick-off during the Cambodian Premier League match between Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng 6–1 win over ISI Dangkor Senchey where he also was named Man of the Match. Dara received a quick pass from midfielder Yudai Ogawa immediately after kick-off and launched a long ball that bounced past the opposing keeper. The Cambodian Premier League has officially clocked the strike at nine seconds, making it the fastest goal in the league’s history. Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng then submitted his goal to the Guinness World Records to seek recognition for beating Asmir Begović 13 seconds record in the English Premier League on 2 November 2013 against Southampton. [2] [3]

International career

Dara make his debut on 5 September 2024 during the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification match against Sri Lanka.

Controversial

During the 2024 ASEAN Championship match against Singapore on 11 December 2024, Dara made two horrendous mistakes that led to both of Singapore's goals within the first 16 minutes. In the 9th minute, a back pass from a Cambodian defender caught Dara off guard, and he missed the ball allowing Singapore’s Faris Ramli to finish easily into an open net. Just 7 minutes later, another back pass from a defender was mishandled by Dara, whose one-touch pass was intercepted by Shawal Anuar who slotted the ball in to make it 2–0. Following the match, fans voiced suspicions that Dara had intentionally conceded the goals, leading to allegations of match-fixing. In response to these concerns, general Sao Sokha, the president of the Football Federation of Cambodia and the head of Cambodia’s military police, announced that an investigation would be launched to clarify the situation. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Career statistics

International

As of matches played 17 September 2024. [8]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Cambodia 202430
Total30

Honours

Visakha

Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng

Individual

References

  1. "VIREAK DARA". cpl-cambodia.com. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  2. "Dara's Fastest Goal under Review for World Record". Cambodianess. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  3. Nafisa (2025-11-28). "Fastest Goal Ever? Cambodian Goalkeeper Stuns World With Record-Chasing Nine-Second Strike". Wake Up Singapore. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  4. VnExpress. "Cambodian goalkeeper suspected of match-fixing in ASEAN Cup - VnExpress International". VnExpress International – Latest news, business, travel and analysis from Vietnam. Archived from the original on 2025-07-13. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  5. Rajan, K. (2024-12-18). "Cambodia officials investigate match-fixing allegations | New Straits Times". NST Online. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  6. "After 2-1 loss to S'pore, Cambodia looking into football match-fixing accusations in Asean Championship". mothership.sg. Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  7. "Cambodia launch probe after 2-1 loss to Singapore in Asean Championship". The Straits Times. 2024-12-18. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 2025-11-30.
  8. "Vireak Dara". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  9. "Instagram".