Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan scored the opening goal for Al Ain who slipped to a 2-1 away loss against Saudi side Al-Ittihad FC in the Asian Champions League on Wednesday.
Gyan shot Ain ahead in the 38th minute but they failed to protect the advantage as Al-Ittihad fought from behind to record a 2-0 win over the UAE title-holders.
With a new manager in charge, Ain were hoping to use the game inspire their domestic campaign and they were given the right impetus when Gyan scored late in the first-half to hand victory to his side (his second on a row in the competition).
Gyan has taken his tally to 22 in all competitions this season with Wednesday's goal.