Having secured the Adnoc Pro League title with four games left, Al Ain were officially crowned the champions for the 14th time on the final day of the league at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on Thursday.
Even though they were held by Sharjah 1-1, the players, technical staff and fans celebrated their moment of glory.
Al Ain manager Serhiy Rebrov said winning the league and the Pro League Cup was a team effort.
“It was a mighty effort from the players and technical staff, the backing we had from our management and of course the fans who have been behind us at every game,” the Ukrainian said.
Al Ain were consistent throughout the league competition with just one defeat in 26 matches. They finished on 65 points, 10 more than Sharjah, followed by Al Wahda (53), Al Jazira (45) and Shabab Al Ahli (43).
“I’m very proud of my lads,” Rebrov said. “It has been a very hard campaign, particularly towards the end when the weather became hotter and harder for the players to continue with the same energy levels.
“The titles alone are sometimes not as important as the improvements, and keeping pace with development and working with team spirits. We had all that during this campaign.”
Rebrov has yet to be offered a contract extension but insisted defending the league title would be a harder task.
“With the season now over, obviously I’ll have a meeting with the club management,” he said when asked of his future at the club.
“I'm actually still part of the team, and I have a month left on my contract.
“Next season will certainly not be easy for us. We have to be more serious because we are the champions and we are required to maintain our position by adding more strength to every line of play.”
On Thursday, Sharjah opened the scoring when Brazilian Caio Lucas defeated goalkeeper Mohammed Bu Sandah for a 38th minute lead.
Sharjah were reduced to 10 men just past the hour when Meloni was given the marching orders for a second bookable offence after a foul on Soufiane Rahimi outside the area.
Al Ain capitalised on their numerical advantage almost immediately as left-back Erik Jorgens equalided on 66 minutes.
In the other games, Shabab Al Ahli got the better of Khor Fakkan 2-1, Baniyas were held by Kalba 1-1 and Ajman outplayed Emirates 3-1 to climb one place above Al Nasr to finish seventh in the table.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
'Downton Abbey: A New Era'
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan
Rating: 4/5
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Uefa Nations League
League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania
League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
Background: Chemical Weapons
