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UAE club Al-Ain fires coach Hernan Crespo less than 6 months after winning Asian CL title

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Al-Ain fired head coach Hernan Crespo on Wednesday, less than six months after the Argentine led the United Arab Emirates club to Asia’s Champions League title.

The decision came after a string of disappointing results that culminated in a 5-1 loss to Cristiano Ronald’s Al-Nassr in the AFC Champions League Elite on Tuesday. It means Crespo, the former Inter Milan and Chelsea striker, will not get a chance to lead Al-Ain to the expanded 32-team FIFA Club World Cup despite helping it qualify for the tournament in the United States next summer.

The high point of Crespo’s 12 month tenure was May’s victory over Yokohama F. Marinos of Japan in the two-legged Asian final but the two-time continental champion has collected just one point from the first four games in this season’s tournament.

The club thanked Crespo in a statement but said “recent results have not met expectations.”

It did not immediately announce a replacement for the 49-year-old Crespo.

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