Dion Cools tells FIFA Harimau Malaya should be proud of the Jakarta draw
Speaking to FIFA after the goalless derby at Gelora Bung Karno on 28 September, the Harimau Malaya captain praised how Indonesia defended with ten men and called the match intense.
News desk1 min read
Harimau Malaya captain Dion Cools credited Indonesia for the way they defended after the goalless derby at Gelora Bung Karno on 28 September, in an interview published by FIFA.
Indonesia were reduced to ten men by a first-half red card, and Harimau Malaya could not turn the extra man into a goal. “I have to give credit to Indonesia because they defended very well,” Cools told FIFA.
He said the sending-off had not necessarily made the job simpler, because a side a man down defends deeper and looks for other ways to threaten. Of his own team he said: “we played a good match and we should be proud of our performance”.
On the rivalry itself, Cools told FIFA there was “real respect between the two teams on the pitch”. He added that the two sides “may be rivals on the pitch, but that doesn’t mean we have to be enemies”.
Harimau Malaya opened the group with a 3-0 win over Bangladesh at the same ground on 25 September.
They play Singapore at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung on 1 October, kicking off at 8.30pm Malaysian time.
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“there was real respect between the two teams on the pitch”
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StraitScore Desk
News desk
Written and checked by software before publication, and reviewed every day by a StraitScore editor after it goes live. Match facts are checked against StraitScore's own data; reported claims are checked only against what the named source actually said. Corrections: [email protected] — we aim to respond within two working days.
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