Asamoah Gyan scored a hat-trick as Al Ain came from behind to defeat 10-man Al Sharjah and enter the quarter-finals of the prestigious President’s Cup at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on Tuesday night.

Al Sharjah had gone ahead through an early strike from Jose Carlos Ferreira but Gyan scored three goals and were also helped by an own goal by Mauricio Donizeti Ramos as ‘The Boss’ won 4-1. Al Sharjah played the remaining nine minutes with 10 men after Shahin Abdulrahman was given marching orders.

Record President’s Cup winners Al Sharjah stunned the defending league champions by taking the lead in the very fourth minute of the game through Jose Carlos Ferreira.

Al Sharjah came close to doubling their lead on 27 minutes but midfielder Kim Jung Woo’s shot from the left just went wide of the left upright.

Just when it seemed like Al Sharjah would head into half-time with a 1-0 lead, Gyan thought otherwise. He received an inch perfect cross from the left and he controlled it well as the defender failed to cut him off. He then slipped it past the advancing goalkeeper from close range.

Al Ain then took the lead on 62 minutes, thanks to an own goal. After an Al Ain throw-in, Michel Bastos shot across from the left. There was no Al Ain player around but Al Sharjah defender Mauricio Donizeti Ramos, in trying to clear it, shot it into his own net.

Al Ain increased that lead seven minutes later with Gyan getting his second goal. Omar Abdulrahman passed to Ismail Ahmed on the right and the defender made his way through before passing it to the Ghanaian, who made no mistake from close range.

Al Sharjah were down to 10 men with nine minutes left on the clock after defender Shahin Abdulrahman was sent off. Al Ain rounded it off with Gyan scoring off a penalty in stoppage time.