ELUSIVE GOAL THAT WILL KEEP RECORD INTACT

MUMBAI: Alessandro Del Piero has many records to his name. Considered one of the greats of Italian football, there is very little that the 39-year-old is yet to achieve. The ISL though has presented him with a unique challenge — to score and complete his record of having scored in each tournament he has been part of. In the six appearances so far in the ISL, the Delhi Dynamos forward is yet to score, with another 10 matches left in the league stage, the record is obviously under a cloud.

On Wednesday the ageing forward was once again on the bench, an entry in the second half though failed to make any changes.

Del Piero has yet to play a full game in the league, and has been substituted each time he has started. Age and fitness are obviously a concern, however, last week, Del Piero had ruled out being unfit.

“No, it’s not my fitness. I’ve played and my fitness is very good,” he said. After the match on Wednesday, where Mumbai City FC beat the Delhi Dynamos 1-0, Del Piero was seen pacing around the ground with the physio. Delhi coach Harm van Veldhoven said after the game that the old football warhorse had no fitness concerns. Signed on as a marquee player for the Dynamos, much was expected from the striker.

Del Piero has maintained that the league has presented its own set of challenges for him. ‘The years in Juventus posed different challenges.”

ON WEDNESDAY THE AGEING FORWARD WAS ONCE AGAIN ON THE BENCH, AN ENTRY IN THE SECOND HALF THOUGH FAILED TO MAKE ANY CHANGES