Metsu´s Al-Ain wrap up Emirati League

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.