Abu Dhabi: The celebrations started early for Arabian Gulf League champions Al Ain and they gave their fans a taste of what’s in store for them on May 10 soon after settling for a goalless draw against arch rivals Al Wahda at the Al Nahyan Stadium on Tuesday evening.
After the inconsequential match, the entire team ran towards the section of their fans, tossing coach Zlatco Dalic high into the air as they savoured their triumph. What followed next were some dance moves as their cheering fans went berserk.
“A win would have been an ideal way to celebrate but we are still happy with the draw,” said a jubilant Omar Abdul Rahman, adding that with the league title assured their focus now shifts to the President’s Cup and the Asian Champions League.
“We would like to carry on the same run of form in the remaining two matches and take it into the President’s Cup and Asian Champions League. All the players are in a good frame of mind and want to do well,” added Omar.
With no stakes left, Al Ain’s ace Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan was a bit subdued after being introduced in the 74th minute and could not do much with the ball but he wowed the crowd with his African jigs.
“The celebrations had to begin and no better way to rejoice in front of your rivals. The fans were also looking forward to it and you can say that the party has begun,” said Gyan, who has been the leading scorer for Al Ain with 13 goals.
Coach Dalic was, for a change, not critical about his team’s inability to get the breakthrough against Al Wahda, only saying it was a “fair result”.
“It was a strong 90 minutes. We played the first half better to control the game and had some chances to score, and even when Wahda played more offensively in the second half, we defended well,” said Dalic adding, “OK, we missed a few chances but a scoreless draw was a fair result. It is true that we had already achieved our objectives ahead of this match but we always want to play the best available team. This is my style.”
Dalic acknowledged that it was not easy to motivate a team that has won the league and reached the round of 16 in the ACL. “I told my players that we are the champions and want to play like the champions in the remaining three games. We still have the President’s Cup to play for and these games can be useful for our preparations.”
Meanwhile, Al Wahda still have a chance to finish in second place if they win their remaining matches and if Al Jazira, who are in second spot currently with 48 points after their 2-1 win against Sharjah, slip up.
Al Wahda are currently on 43 points after 24 matches and have matches to go against Al Ahli and Al Nasr.
Sami Al Jaber, the Al Wahda coach, said his players will target maximum points from their remaining two Arabian Gulf League fixtures and try to finish as high in the league as possible.
“Our main target is to keep the fighting spirit going and to keep up the good performance going into the President’s Cup, which is something we are looking forward to. Drawing a match and dropping points is like losing money from my pocket for me. A draw against Al Ain cannot be called a bad result,” said Al Jaber.
Elsewhere, a brace of goals by Ebrahima Toure saw Al Nasr thrash Emirates 3-0 to move into sixth place with 36 points. Substitute Fahad Hadeed completed the tally for the winners.
