Gyan strikes to hand Al Ain vital win in AFC

Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan was on target again to hand Al Ain a massive first leg advantage in their Asian Champions League tie against Al Jazira on Tuesday night.

The Black Stars captain opened the scoring with a cool finish in the 11th minute of the away match played in Abu Dhabi.

Gyan’s opener extends his tally as the leading scorer in this season’s continental competition with eight goals.

It also means the 28-year-old has racked up an impressive 36 goals in all competitions this season.

Al Ain extended their lead four minutes later through Omar Abdulrahman but their hosts got what eventually proved to be a consolation 13 minutes into the restart through Mussalem Fayez.

The dethroned UAE champions now take a commanding 2-1 lead into the return encounter which will be played next Tuesday.

Al Ain have flourished in Asia this term despite their very disappointing domestic campaign which guarantees them at best only a third place finish.

Gyan’s personal form however excites many as he prepared to join the Black Stars for June’s World Cup in Brazil.