Simba SC attacking midfielder Neo Maema has admitted being hurt by the 2–1 defeat to Stade Malien, saying the players let themselves down as well as the fans who support them.
Maema said losing two consecutive matches for a big club like Simba is painful, but they have nothing to defend themselves with except going back, starting afresh, and collecting points in the remaining matches.
"I think I’ve been going through a difficult time; I scored my first goal today since joining this club."
"Honestly, it is heartbreaking—we have let down our fans who have always supported us, and even the technical bench that has been pushing us a lot."
"It hurts to lose two matches in a row for a big club like Simba. I think we need to analyse the game as players, each one individually, and come back to fight for the club badge."
"Simba is a big club; we have no excuses. Whether we play at home or away, we must do better."
"It’s very painful to concede two goals in the first half. They were our mistakes, but the positive thing we can take is that now we can see the level of the Champions League—there are no small teams; everyone is competing."
"We need to start again. It hurts a lot, it’s not good, because we are supposed to perform much better," Maema said.
