The Dynamos fail to crank

The usually minting money on match days by ferrying passengers from the nearest metro station to the stadium, were idle.

As the temperature drops in Delhi with each passing week, so, it seems, does local interest. When the homeleg of the tourney began, on October 3, more than 10,000 spectators thronged the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to cheer their team. But by December 3, when the club stumbled to its sixth defeat of the season, against Mumbai City FC, this number was reduced by half (5,121).

It was the club’s last home game before the international break, and perhaps its lowest point. Even the usually upbeat Josep Gombau looked weary after the defeat, admitting “with us not winning games, the confidence was a problem for us.”

The tuktuks, usually minting money on match days by ferrying passengers from the nearest metro station to the stadium, were idle. When I boarded one, the driver en quired whether there was any event being held at the stadium. For it was hard to tell; the whistling fans thronging the approach roads were conspicuous by their absence.

In protest against Dynamos’ lacklustre campaign so far, its fan club — the Dynamos Ultras — continued to hold the team’s flag upside down. Hoots and whistles marked the contest in which four goals were pumped against Dynamos in the second half.

The importance of Delgado

Dimas Delgado’s value to Bengaluru FC cannot be overstated. The Spanish central midfielder returned from suspension to play a starring role in BFC’S thrilling victory over FC Pune City. He played a vital part in the first goal and was a constant menace all evening with his sliderule passes and long