Cosmin Olaroiu wants 'focus' after Al Ain extend Pro League lead

Victory over Dubai leaves the leaders five points clear of the chasing pack

Cosmin Olaroiu has acknowledged Al Ain are in a strong position to win the Pro League.

DUBAI // Cosmin Olaroiu says the Pro League title is within touching distance for Al Ain after they stretched their lead at the top to five points last night with a 2-0 win at Dubai.

Ignacio Scocco opened the scoring with a diving header in the 20th minute before limping off in the second half with pain in his groin. Asamoah Gyan then made his dash back from the African Cup of Nations worthwhile with well-crafted second for Al Ain in the 62nd minute.

The win takes Al Ain's tally to 33, Al Nasr are second on 28 after their draw at Al Wahda on Tuesday, while Al Jazira remain on 26 points after their defeat at Baniyas yesterday.

"Yes, the title is there for us to lose," Olaroiu said. "But there is a lot more responsibility on us and we have to make sure we continue working the way we have been. We cannot afford to relax. We need to take every game as a cup final. This is one way of reach where we want."

The Pro League now heads into a one-month break, during which both Nasr and Jazira will play in the AFC Champions League. Al Ain are not in that competition and Olaroiu agreed it might work to their advantage on the domestic front.

He said: "We have to focus on our own games. We have to win every game and this way, nobody can catch us."

Ayman Ramadi, the Dubai coach, is hoping he can find some solutions for a team, who are stuck at the bottom of the league table on seven points.

"We have problems in both attack and defence," he said. "This break will give us some time to work on it."

More Pro League, s10-11