‘Two clean sheets’: Cools hails Tapp, Nooa as Malaysia chase Fifa Asean Cup final spot

Malaysia captain Dion Cools commended Brad Tapp and Nooa Laine for their roles in the team's solid defence, resulting in back-to-back clean sheets.

Cools highlighted Tapp's impact as part of Malaysia's defence with their recent results, and praised Nooa's influence and progress in protecting the defensive line.

Malaysia are set to face Singapore in their final Division 1 Group A match, with the group leaders advancing to the final and runners-up contesting a playoff.

JAKARTA, Sept 30 — Malaysia captain Dion Cools has praised centre-back partner Brad Tapp and defensive midfielder Nooa Laine after Harimau Malaya recorded back-to-back clean sheets in their opening two Fifa Asean Cup 2026 matches.

Cools said his partnership with Tapp had quickly evolved into an effective one, with Malaysia keeping clean sheets in their 3-0 win over Bangladesh and their goalless draw with hosts Indonesia at Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium here.

“Two clean sheets, do I need to say more? We did a really good job. Really impressed by him, really nice to play with him, so yeah, we can keep going like this, and hopefully it’s the same in the next game,” he told reporters.

Tapp, a 25-year-old mixed-heritage defender, is one of three new additions to the Harimau Malaya squad alongside naturalised forwards Bergson da Silva and Manuel Hidalgo.

Cools, the Cerezo Osaka FC defender, also singled out Nooa for his growing influence in shielding the national team’s defensive line, saying the Finland-born midfielder had continued to mature with every national-team call-up and possessed both the quality and willingness to absorb tactical instructions.

“He’s amazing! I remember when Nooa’s first time. I didn’t know what to expect because he came from Finland, but every time he just keeps progressing.

“He’s really easy to coach. Everything we say to him, he really takes it, and he has so much quality. I’m really happy he’s in our team,” he said.

Meanwhile, Malaysia, under interim head coach Tan Cheng Hoe, will face Singapore in their final Division 1 Group A match at Stadium Si Jalak Harupat in Bandung tomorrow, with the race for a place in the final still wide open.

Malaysia lead Group A with four points, level with second-placed Indonesia but ahead on goal difference, while Singapore sit third on three points and Bangladesh remain bottom without a point.

In the inaugural tournament, the group winners will advance to the final, while the runners-up will contest the third-place playoff, with both matches scheduled to be held at GBK next Monday. — Bernama

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马来西亚队长迪翁·库尔斯称赞布拉德·塔普和努阿·莱内为球队稳固的防守做出了贡献，使得球队连续两场比赛零封对手。

库尔斯强调了塔普在马来西亚队近期的比赛中对球队防守的影响，并称赞了努阿在保护防线方面的影响和进步。

马来西亚将在第一级别A组的最后一场比赛中对阵新加坡，小组第一名将晋级决赛，小组第二名将进行附加赛。

雅加达，9 月 30 日——马来西亚队长迪翁·库尔斯称赞了中后卫搭档布拉德·塔普和防守型中场努阿·莱内，此前马来西亚队在 2026 年 FIFA 东盟杯的前两场比赛中连续零封对手。

库尔斯表示，他与塔普的搭档关系迅速发展成为有效的搭档关系，马来西亚队在格罗拉蓬卡诺体育场以 3-0 战胜孟加拉国以及与东道主印度尼西亚 0-0 战平的比赛中均保持零失球。

“两场零封，还需要多说吗？我们做得非常出色。他给我留下了深刻的印象，和他一起踢球感觉很棒，所以是的，我们可以继续保持这样的状态，希望下一场比赛也能如此，”他告诉记者。

25 岁的混血后卫塔普是马来西亚国家队新加入的三名球员之一，另外两名新成员是归化前锋贝尔格森·达席尔瓦和曼努埃尔·伊达尔戈。

大阪樱花队的后卫库尔斯也特别提到了努阿在保护国家队防线方面日益增长的影响力，他说这位芬兰出生的中场球员随着每次入选国家队都在不断成熟，并且具备接受战术指示的素质和意愿。

“他太棒了！我还记得诺亚第一次来的时候。因为他来自芬兰，我不知道会发生什么，但他每次都在进步。”

“他真的很容易指导。我们跟他说的话，他都能认真听取，而且他很有天赋。我很高兴他能加入我们的球队，”他说。

与此同时，马来西亚队在临时主教练陈清和的带领下，将于明天在万隆的西贾拉克哈鲁帕体育场迎战新加坡队，进行甲级联赛A组的最后一场比赛，决赛席位的争夺仍然充满变数。

马来西亚以4分领跑A组，与排名第二的印度尼西亚积分相同，但因净胜球优势领先；新加坡积3分排名第三；孟加拉国则一分未得，排名垫底。

首届锦标赛中，小组第一名将晋级决赛，小组第二名将争夺季军，两场比赛都定于下周一在GBK举行。——马新社

梅赛德斯车队老板坚称团队利益至上，但拉塞尔与安东内利的竞争增添了更多悬念。

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