Sports News of Saturday, 18 April 2015

Source: Evans Gyamera-Antwi

Asamoah Gyan wins UAE league with Al Ain

The 29-year-old striker has won his third league title in just four years at the Gulf with Al Ain

Ghanaian captain Asamoah Gyan has helped Al Ain to claim their third domestic league trophy in the Arabian Gulf League with Al Ain on Friday.The Boss emerged winners after a lackadaisical approach by Al Jazira saw them losing 4-2 to mid-table club Bani Yas on Friday evening at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium.

Al Ain brushed aside Ittihad Kaliba 4-0 on Thursday with goals from Slovenian Miloslav Stoch, Congolese Jires Kembo Ekoko, Saudi Arabian Omar Abdulraham and Asamoah Gyan but a defeat to Al Jazira means they are the new champions with three games to spare.

After losing the title to Al Ahli last season, Al Ain sacked coach Quique Sanchez Flores at the start of the season following poor run of matches and brought in Zlatko Dali?.

Dalic was appointed in February with Al Ain sixth on the log but the Croat’s impact has been felt immensely three months later, winning the league in a fashionable style -with three games to spare- to end the season. The 48-year-old brought in former Chelsea player Miroslav Stoch on loan from Fenerbache alongside Lee Myung-joo and Kembo Ekoko and they never seized to impress the club’s top hierarchy as the trio contributed 25 of Al Ain’s 60 goals so far this season.

Asamoah Gyan has scored 13 goals in 14 games this term despite suffering from a troublesome injury and being away in January and mid-February with Ghana on national duty at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nation where he finished second. Ghana lost the finals to Ivory Coast on penalties.

Gyan scored 22, 31 and 29 goals in the last three season to clinch the top scorer’s accolade but he is 10 goals behind former AS Roma striker Mirko Vucinic. The Al Jazira striker has netted 23 times this term and he is likely to break Gyan’s monopoly to clinch the goal king diadem.