Abu Dhabi: Cosmin Olaroiu, the head coach of Al Ain, and his Bani Yas counterpart Salim Al Orfi, expressed their satisfaction with the 2-2 draw their teams achieved on Sunday in the last match of the 24th week of the Etisalat Pro-League.
Al Ain’s Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan scored both his team’s goals to increase his personal tally to 30 for the season, setting a record in the process after beating the mark achieved of 29 by Al Boury Lah of Al Wahda in the 1998-99 season.
In response, Andre Senghor matched Gyan’s feat of scoring both goals for Bani Yas to increase his tally to 14 goals.
“I am satisfied with the result bearing in mind that we gave some of our key players a rest while we missed the services of others because of injuries and suspension,” Olaroiu said.
“And we should remember that we played most of the match with ten players after our defender Mohammad Salem was sent off in the 33rd minute.
“We still have two remaining matches and I will still continue to provide the chance for young players to show their capabilities,” he added.
“To win a point from Al Ain away is a big gain,” Al Orfi said.
“We also have gave some players a rest preparing for our first leg match in the finals of the GCC Clubs’ Championship next Friday.
“It was good to see the team coming from behind after trailing 2-0 to tie the score. This spirit will be needed in the final in our quest to win our first ever GCC title.”
Bani Yas are four points behind second-place Al Ahli and have two matches to play before the end of the season.
