South African midfielder Neo Maema named as man of the match as 18 -time national champions Simba SC secured a 2-0 victory over former Nyerere Cup champions Coastal Union in a Tanzania Mainland Premier League fixture.
South African midfielder Neo Maema earned the individual gong at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in a victory which saw them reduce the point gap to four on table toppers and fierce rivals Young Africans.
It was the South African’s maiden 90 minutes in the East Africa country as he had a hand in assisting in both goals for Maema who is in Tanzania on loan from Betway Premiership side Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa for the current campaign
“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 at least I get to 80 minutes, but I made it to 90 minutes.
Simba’s breakthrough came through Seleman Mwalimu, who finished clinically after a well-worked attacking move before the second goal was scored by Ivorian defender Ismaël Olivier Touré signed from South African side Stellenbosch FC , who showed great composure to seal the victory.
The result sees Simba move to 34 points, now sitting four points behind league leaders Young Africans SC in the title race.
