Simba SC midfielder Neo Maema has reacted to winning the Man of the Match accolade after they moved second in the Tanzanian Premier League on Thursday night.
The Reds of Msimbazi beat Coastal Union 2-0 to reduce the gap on table-toppers and rivals Young Africans to just four points with a game in hand.
The Bafana Bafana international completed his first 90 minutes for the club this season and walked away with the award for the best player on the pitch in the tie at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
Maema played a hand in Simba walking away with maximum points as they opened the scoring in the 26th minute through Selemani Mwalimu.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns man then provided the assist for ex-Stellenbosch FC defender Ismaël Olivier Toure who tucked home from close range to make it 2-0 on the stroke of halftime for the winner.
Maema expressed gratitude to his teammates for their efforts in ensuring they come out victorious.
“I think after FIFA break, it’s never easy to gel together as a team,” he told Simba media.
“I think first-half we could’ve done better, but the man of the match accolade, it shows that the type of game we put out there as a team.
“For me, individual awards is just a reflection of all our hard work. So, I just wanna thank my teammates for keeping it together and make sure we get the three points.
“But this one [award], I needed. I wanted to push myself to make sure that today [Thursday] at least I get to 80 [minutes], but I made it to 90 [minutes].
“These three points, firstly, it was for them. I’m happy that they came in numbers today, and I just urge them to continue supporting the boys.
“Because with their energy in the stand we can feel it even when things are tough in the pitch, we can feel it.
“So, we urge them to come in numbers on Sunday so that they can be our 12th man.
“We trust them, we love them and we make sure that Sunday, we win the three points for them.”
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