News Center

Al Ain 2-1 Ajman: Gyan brace secures first victory

Al Ain recorded their first three points of the 2013/14 Arabian Gulf League season with a 2-1 win over Ajman in Round 2 at the Tahnon bin Mohamed Stadium on Friday evening. The win came courtesy of an Asamoah Gyan brace, and was achieved without the services of birthday boy Omar Abdulrahman, who suffered a midweek illness and was only fit enough for the substitutes bench.

Billed a must-win game for Al Ain, even at such an early stage in the season, it was the visitors who crafted the first clear-cut chances. Captain Boris Kabi saw two decent opportunities go begging inside the first 18 minutes, and Ajman were soon punished for these misses as Al Ain were more clinical with their finishing. In the 20th minute the hosts got their noses in front as Michel Bastos squeezed a pinpoint cross into the box from the left, which Asamoah Gyan made no mistake powering the ball into the net with his head to make it 1-0. Five minutes later Gyan was at the double, this time heading home a measured Ahmed Al Shamisi free-kick from the left to double Al Ain’s lead. In the 39th minute Mirel Radoi slid an excellent pass through for what looked like it would be Gyan’s hat-trick, but the Ghanaian striker angled his shot straight at the goalkeeper.

Ajman started the second half brightly, with Kuwaiti midfielder Yousef Nasser dragging a left-footed shot just inches wide of the post in the 50th minute, and moments later Khaled Abdulrahman had to be alert to block Boris Kabi. Al Ain almost made it three in the 65th minute as Asamoah Gyan’s clever backheel put Khaled Abdulrahman through, but the defender’s shot drifted agonizingly wide of the post. Al Ain’s first substitution of the game saw summer signing Sultan Al Ghaferi come on to replace Ali Al Wehaibi in the 66th minute, and six minutes later the hosts were forced into a second change when Mohammed Abdulrahman suffered an injury and Australian striker Alex Brosque came on to make his return from surgery undergone during pre-season. In the 77th minute Boris Kabi set up teammate Simon Feindouno to score his second goal in as many games to pull one back for Ajman, but Al Ain held on to their advantage to record their first League win of the season.