AFP - Reigning Emirati
champions Al-Ain, coached by former Senegal coach Bruno Metsu, retained
their title Monday with a 1-0 victory over Al-Nasr of Dubai.
Ivory Coast international Candia Troure scored the decisive goal, volleying
the ball past the Al-Nasr goalkeeper who had done well to parry a shot by
Troure´s compatriot Abu Bakr Sanogo.
The result comes as a timely tonic for Al-Ain, who will host Al-Hilal of
Saudi Arabia, Qatar´s Al-Sadd and Esteqlal of Iran from March 9-15 in Group
3 of the Asian Champions League.
Metsu, the charismatic long-haired Frenchman who guided Senegal to the
quarter-finals in their World Cup debut last year, joined Al-Ain on a
one-year contract in July.
He originally requested a 10-month ´leave-of-absence´ from his Senegal job,
but the Senegalese football authorities turned him down and eventually
appointed another Frenchman, Guy Stephan, as his successor.