Arabian Gulf Cup results: Asamoah Gyan marks Al Ahli debut with goal against former club Al Ain

The Ghana captain took only eight minutes to get his name on the scoresheet after arriving on the pitch as a 72nd-minute substitute to score his team’s fourth goal in a 5-1 win at Rashid Stadium on Wednesday.

Powered by automated translation

Asamoah Gyan made a goalscoring return to UAE football on Wednesday when he netted on debut for Al Ahli against his former club Al Ain in a 5-1 annihilation in the Arabian Gulf Cup.

The Ghana captain took only eight minutes to get his name on the scoresheet after arriving on the pitch as a 72nd-minute substitute to score his team’s fourth goal at Rashid Stadium before Everton Ribeiro completed the rout with a minute left.

See also:

• Pictures: Ghana's Asamoah Gyan returns to UAE with Al Ahli

• Asamoah Gyan: 'Al Ahli were my worst enemy before, but now I'm part of the family'

• Asamoah Gyan extras: Why Reading move collapsed, Ghana Africa Cup of Nations and more

• Watch: Asamoah Gyan thanks Al Ain 'for their love' but focus is on 'new challenge' at Al Ahli

Rodrigo Lima opened the scoring after five minutes and Habib Fardan made it 2-0 three minutes before the break to set the platform for the home side.

Waleed Hussain added a third on 69 minutes as the Arabian Gulf League champions bounced back from their Round 1 defeat to Al Nasr in Group B last week.

Lima, who was sidelined for the majority of the 2015/16 season through injury, was quickest to react with a header after Salim Khamis failed to clear a long throw in inside the Al Ain penalty area as Ahli got off to the perfect start.

Fardan sent the hosts into the break with a two-goal cushion when his left-foot effort from outside the area beat Al Ain goalkeeper Mahmoud Al Mas. Again the Al Ain defence was found wanting, as they were when Hussain blasted home Ahli’s third.

As Al Ain set out to reduce the deficit, Gyan and Ribeiro exploited the inevitable holes in the rearguard to give the scoreline an embarrassing look. It could have been even worse for Zlatko Dalic’s side had Lima’s second-half header not crashed against the crossbar.

Al Shabab made it two wins from two in Group B as they easily dispatched a Kalba side who finished the match with 10 men following Soulaiman Yossi's red card 3-0 at Kalba Stadium.

Tomas de Vincenti opened the scoring in the 37th minute before second-half goals from Ruud Boijmans and Henrique Luvannor sealed the win.

Al Wasl also have maximum points from their two cup matches as goals Brazilian pair Caio Canedo and Fabio de Lima powered them to a 2-0 triumph over Hatta in the early game at Al Maktoum Stadium.

RESULTS:

Wednesday, September 7

• Hatta 0 Al Wasl2

• Kalba 0 A Shabab 3

• Al Ahli 5 Al Ain 1

FIXTURES:

Thursday, September 8

• Dibba v Baniyas, 5.40pm

• Al Wahda v Al Dhafra, 8.30pm

• Sharjah v Emirates, 8.30pm