Dubai: A blistering display in the opening ten minutes set Al Nasr on their way to being crowned Arabian Gulf Cup champions with a smashing 4-1 win over Sharjah at the Rashid Stadium here late on Friday.

Those opening ten minutes decided the ultimate outcome of the match, producing three goals, with man of the match Ebrahima Toure of Senegal scoring twice and Spaniard Pablo Hernandez making his Al Nasr debut in style with his first goal.

Sharjah did put up a fight and pulled one back in the 14th minute as they caught the Al Nasr defence napping following a quick counter-attack, as Brazilian striker Rodriguinho Marinho Costa made it 3-1. But the Blue Wave added a fourth on the hour mark from the penalty spot, with Mahmoud Khamis converting after Hernandez had been brought down.

Abdullah Saeed Al Naboodah, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al Ahli Club, and Suhail Al Arifi, CEO of the Pro League Committee (PLC), presented the trophy to captain Brett Holman as the Dubai club brought an end to a domestic trophy drought that went back to their Federation Cup triumph of 2002.

Al Nasr were deserving winners as they showed a lot of purpose and gusto from the start, even before their opponents from Sharjah had time to settle.

Toure opened the score through a third minute free kick that went off a Sharjah defender and trickled past unsighted goalkeeper Rashid Ahmad.

Hernandez, a former winger with Swansea City who signed last week, doubled the score in the eighth minute as he accepted a ball from Brett Holman on the left, cut in and placed past the Sharjah goalkeeper.

Clever diversion

Two minutes later, Toure got his second of the match when he directed a Mahmoud Khamis corner through the feet of Ahmad.

Sharjah pulled one back when Wanderley Santos Monteiro played an unmarked Rodriguinho through to guide home.

Sharjah pressed for goals and nearly got a second in the 18th minute, but a clever diversion from Yousuf Saeed’s head from a free kick hit the crossbar and went out of play.

Toure had a golden opportunity to complete his hat-trick in the 27th minute following a clever release from Holman, but the Senegalese failed to get past the goalkeeper.

Al Nasr went on the back foot for the early part of the second half and their defenders did a fantastic job at keeping the Sharjah attacking duo of Rodriguinho and Wanderley at bay.

Al Nasr got their penalty when Hernandez darted into the area and was brought down by Shahin Abdul Rahman and Khamis made it 4-1.

Toure got a second chance to complete his hat-trick in the 72nd minute, when he was put through by Holman once again. But again the 29-year-old Senegalese striker failed to get past Rashid Ahmad.