ACL MD6 – Group B: Al Ain 3-0 Naft Tehran [VIDEO]

AFC – AL AIN, Second-half goals from Omar Abdulrahman, Asamoah Gyan and Jires Kembo-Ekoko helped Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates to a 3-0 victory over debutants Naft Tehran in the AFC Champions League on Wednesday as last year’s semi-finalists secured top spot in Group B while the Iranians also advanced to the Round of 16 in second place.

The home side went into the game at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium having already qualified for the next phase but needing a point to advance as group winners, while Naft knew a defeat coupled with a win for Uzbek side Pakhtakor against already eliminated Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia would see them exit the continental competition at the group stage.

And after a goalless first half it was the hosts who sprung into life after the restart with midfielder Abdulrahman breaking the deadlock just after the hour before last year’s top scorer Gyan (pictured right) netted his third of the campaign with 15 minutes remaining before Kembo-Ekoko wrapped up the win in the closing stages.

But despite being well beaten on the night, Naft progressed from the group stage at the first time of asking as a result of the Pakhtakor’s 2-0 defeat by Al Shabab in Tashkent.

The Emiratis controlled possession in the early stages, but it was the visitors who almost took the lead against the run of play after 20 minutes when Iman Mobali’s free-kick from the left was met by the head of Amir Motahhari, but his effort from eight yards was acrobatically tipped over by goalkeeper Khalid Eisa.

And the Iranians again nearly broke the deadlock 10 minutes before the interval when the two linked up once more, this time with Motahhari latching on to a beautifully weighted through-ball by Mobali from inside his own half before his shot from the right side of the penalty area rebounded back off the far post.

But then Al Ain Ismail Ahmed twice could have netted for the home side before the break, first when he headed wide from close range after a nicely lifted free-kick from Abdulrahman and then when the defender fired over from 12 yards after a neat cutback from the playmaker.

Alireza Mansourian’s Naft came out strongly after the restart and again went close in the 55th minute when Abbas Bozar’s powerful 20-yard effort was deflected narrowly wide by Ahmed.

But the hosts took the lead in the 62nd minute when the ball broke to Abdulrahman on the left side of the penalty area before he shimmied his way past Saeid Lotfi and fired a left-footed effort from a tight angle that appeared to be going wide before deflecting off the defender and past goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.

And Al Ain doubled their advantage with 15 minutes remaining when Abdulrahman dinked a ball into the area that defender Mohamed Ahmed knocked back to Gyan, who emphatically found the roof of the net from 16 yards.

Zlatko Dalic’s Al Ain then put the game beyond doubt in the 87th minute when Kembo-Ekoko slipped in substitute Rashed Eise, and when his side-footed attempt from just inside the area looped onto the crossbar via the foot of Beiranvand, the striker was on hand to tap home from a yard out.