ISL: Atletico de Kolkata 1-1 Delhi Dynamos: 5 talking points
The Salt Lake Stadium was witness to another gripping encounter in the Indian Super League as home side Atletico de Kolkata took on Delhi Dynamos. A game which started off as a midfield battle slowly transformed into an action-packed game which had everything in it – penalties, red cards, spectacular goals, player simulation and heated arguments.Eventually, Pavel Elias’ stunning volley ensured a second consecutive draw for Delhi while Kolkata conceded their first game of the tournament. Borja Fernandez’s absence did affect Kolkata a little, but they exhibitied great work ethic to ensure that they held on despite having a player red-carded.Here are the five talking points from the match.
#1 Both marquee players were off-colour
Luis Garcia and Alessandro Del Piero, marquee players of Kolkata and Delhi, respectively, put in surprisingly lacklustre performances in this match. Garcia was almost non-existent in the first half and cut a lonely figure in the hole behind the striker. The absence of the suspended Borja Fernandez too had its effect on Garcia’s contribution to his team’s creative output and the injury didn’t help his cause.
Alessandro Del Piero, on the other hand, although was active and lively in Delhi’s improved showing at the Salt Lake Stadium, but he too didn’t perform to the standard that his coach and managers expect of him. The Italian seemed frustrated with his team’s lack of penetration; he misplaced a lot of passes and gave the ball away quite a few times after dribbling straight into defenders’ path.
Though Garcia has had great moments in the first 2 games, both Del Piero and he are yet to light up the Indian Super League as they are still getting accustomed to Indian football and will be hoping to improve their performance in the upcoming games.