Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan scored a hat-trick to breath live into Al Ain’s faint title hopes and condemn Al Shaab to relegation from the UAE top-flight league.
It was once again a night that highlighted Gyan’s swashbuckling form upfront this season as he claimed his second hat-trick in the Pro League campaign and increase his domestic league tally to 24 in 23 outings.
The Ghana captain’s final goal was amazing after leaving about three defenders in his wake with pace, power and supreme dribbling skills before firing a long-range shot beyond the reach of the goalkeeper.
Gyan scored twice in the first-half (12th and 45th) minutes to send Ain into a 2-0 lead, showing virtually no mercy for a fractured Shaab defence at the Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium.
Perhaps the presence of Gyan’s elder brother Baffour and some of his friends in the stands boosted his confidence to once again establish himself as the league’s most outstanding player despite the presence of Grafite and other top world-class players in the league.
Mohammad Abdul Rahman and Rayyan Yaslam scored twice after the break to seal the point for Ain and it became a game for glory as Gyan grabbed his third of the evening with a sensation strike stoppage-time, smashing the ball past a hapless Shaab keeper from inside of the box.
Thursday evening was yet another scintillating moment for the Ghana captain who registered his 11th strike in nine continuous league games.
