Coach Hasek soaks up Cup success

Abu Dhabi: Ivan Hasek, the Al Ahli coach who guided his team to a 2-0 win over defending champions Al Wasl in Monday's President's Cup final, has added another chapter of success to a glorious player-coach career.

"This is a great moment and certainly one of the best of my career," said the 44-year-old Czech, who captained his national team in the 1990 World Cup and also scored a goal against USA.

"I am very happy to win in this part of the world," said Hasek, who coached his former club Sparta Prague to two league titles, helped French club Strasbourg gain promotion and won the Czech league seven times with Sparta as a player.

Hasek, who also coached the Gabon national team as well as French club Saint Etienne, Vissel Kobe of Japan and Al Wasl two years ago, has 56 Czech national caps to his credit and is a globe-trotting ace.

Winning team

The soft-spoken Czech, who is also a lawyer, took over Al Ahli in December and has already had a major impact on the team, helping them oust a strong Al Wahda team in the President's Cup, and also seeing his players drag the club back into title contention with six wins, two draws and just one loss during his tenure.

They are now just five points off the pace, with one game in hand and have six matches left.

"We will now turn to the league and there is no time for celebration. We have an important match on Saturday against Al Ain," said Hasek.

"From now on every match in the league is like a final."

Hasek praised his team's effort after Monday's win, and said of two-goal hero Cleberson Cesar: "He is an inspirational player and he has a role to play.

"Like him we have many others who also played their roles and it was one huge effort.

"Of course the second goal he scored was brilliant."

Ah Ahli, who came out of the blue to snatch the league title from Al Wahda with a play-off win two seasons ago, will be looking to do just that after their recent triumph.

"We have a strong team and have enough strength in the bench," said Hasek, who has also been touted as a possible replacement for Czech national team coach Karel Bruckner, who plans to quit after this year's European Championship.