Abu Dhabi: A solitary goal by Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan saw Al Ain deny Al Ahli a record quadruple of UAE titles and in the process ended their own trophy drought this season by clinching the President’s Cup in front of a packed house at the Zayed Sports City Stadium here on Sunday.
Al Ain coach Zlatko Dalic said afterwards that the victory vindicated his appointment in March, when he was brought in as a low-profile replacement for Spaniard Quique Flores.
“When I came to Al Ain, many people didn’t believe in me,” he said. “I’m not a big name and so I didn’t ask anything. I didn’t ask [for] money or any bonus and all I needed was a chance.
“They gave me that chance and I worked hard with the boys in the last three months. My players trusted me and they worked around me. Everybody who worked with me has also played a huge part in the team’s success and the trophy is for them.
“Congratulations to my players and my team. I’m very happy for the trophy and we deserved it very much.”
The match was tipped as a grudge final but it failed to rise up to expectations, at least in the first half, as Al Ahli — who had already clinched the Super Cup, Arabian Gulf League and the League Cup this season — failed to show any purpose. There was not a single noteworthy move from them as they were content to play on the defensive.
However, their counterparts Al Ain, who played a friendly against newly crowned Premier League Champions Manchester City last week, clearly seemed to have managed to pick up a tip or two from the English giants.
The Boss were in the zone right from the word go and kept the majority share of the ball. After a series of raids, Al Ain’s mercurial playmaker Omar Abdul Rahman came close to scoring twice. In the 16th minute, a long-ranger from Abdul Rahman grazed the crossbar and then a low shot from him went just inches wide of the far post.
Ebrahim Diaky and Omar’s brother Mohammad also had chances but failed to get the breakthrough.
However, Al Ain’s persistent efforts finally paid dividends in the 32 second minute. Mohammad Fayez made a swift run down the left flank and sent in a curling cross that took a deflection off Al Ahli defender Basheer Saeed and landed at the feet off an unmarked Omar. The UAE star quickly crossed to an unmarked Gyan, who tapped into the open goal with Al Ahli keeper Said Yousuf helpless.
Gyan had once again showed the striking prowess that has seen him walk away with the leading scorer award in the Arabian Gulf League this season with 29 goals.
Al Ahli showed far more purpose after the change of ends but somehow failed to get the equaliser. Brazilian Ciel, after making a defence-splitting run, had an open goal but ended up shooting over.
Al Ain then survived a double close call in the 75th minute. A Luis Jimenez cross from the right flank was met with a power-packed header from substitute Ahmad Khalil, but his effort cannoned off the crossbar and rebounded back into the danger area.
The resultant shot from Esmail Salem was hit into the ground, but it bounced up and again the frame of the goal come to Al Ain’s rescue.
The Boss then soaked up all Al Ahli’s pressure towards the end to clinch their sixth President’s Cup title and also extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to 12 matches.
Al Ahli’s assistant coach Catalin Raducan said: “Today we didn’t have the luck. We missed two chances when it found the post. This is life. We are a little bit upset now but, after one week when we look back, we will proud of what we have done this season.”
