Abu Dhabi: With the crucial AFC Champions League match against Saudi outfits Al Hilal lurking, Al Ain managed to get the much needed momentum behind by registering an authoritative 4-0 victory over Ajman in the Arabian Gulf League at the Rashid bin Saeed Stadium on Wednesday.
Mohamed Abdul Rahman, Miroslav Stoch, Asamoah Gyan and Mohammed Fawzi scored a goal apiece for the winners.
After taking a good measure of their opponent in the first quarter, Al Ain managed two back-to-back opportunities with Jires Kembo doing all the spadework from the right flank.
However, Al Ain’s star striker Asamoah Gyan somehow muffed those chances. The first one being the closest, with just the Ajman custodian Ali Mesmari to beat but Gyan ended up hammering it straight to him.
Ajman also had their share of chances but they too failed to capitalise. Waleed Ahmed Hassan, Kareem Ziani and Boris Kabi all missing open chances.
First Hassan’s left footer went wide, then Ziani’s long ranger found Al Ain custodian Khalid Essa in its way and then Kabi failed to direct his shot from inside the ‘D’ to perfection.
What was worth noticing was the role played by Mohamed, who played as an attacking mid-fielder while his brother and star medio Omar Abdul Rahman opted to render more support from behind.
In the 37th minute, Kembo’s through ball was well controlled just in front of the backline by Gyan before setting it up for an unmarked Mohamed, who placed the ball to perfection past a rooted Ajman custodian Mesmari.
Three minutes later, Mohamed found Kembo with a fine through and the resultant cross for Gyan was somehow back heeled by Ajman defender Ahmed Salem, only to see an overlapping Stoch blast it into the open goal.
Gyan, then, compensated for the early miss by scoring after the change of ends to make it 3-0. He, after playing a long ball for Kembo, placed himself well to slot home the return pass from the latter with ease.
Al Ain fans would have been more than pleased to see their right-back Mohammed Fawzy take the field following an injury layoff and score.
Fawzy got good 10-odd minutes to test his fitness and should be a starter against Al Hilal. An Omar chip was well trapped by Gyan before finding Fawzy, who completed the tally with a neat placement in the injury time.
There was more misery in store for Ajman as Haddaf Abdulla pocketed his second yellow card and was shown the way out just before the final whistle.
