Playing in his first competitive match in the country, Italian legend Alessandro del Piero said that he enjoyed the adulation he got from the football fans.
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But Delhi Dynamos' star rued at not starting his side's campaign with a win against Pune City FC.
"I enjoyed every bit of the match. They (the crowd) chanted my name when I entered the field and during play. It was really a very good feeling. I thank my Indian fans," del Piero said after the match ended in a stalemate.
"The playing atmosphere was also good with a lot of people turning up. Only thing was that we did not win the match," said the 39-year-old World Cup winner.
The marquee player of the city franchise team said he was a bit disappointed at not winning the match but at the same was a good performance by his side at their first match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.
‘I was thinking all the time when del Piero can come in’
"We played very well and completely dominated the match but missed a lot of chances. A goal would have changed the complexion of the match," said del Piero who came into the match in the 37th minute in place of Morten Skoubo.
"But, it was our first match and we have done very well except that we did not score. The Indian players also played very well."
Manager Harm van Veldhoven also said that he was disappointed with the result but happy with the performance of his players.
Asked why del Piero was not in the starting line-up but brought in only in the 37th minute, van Veldhoven said, "We have to play at least 14 matches and we have to see who to start and who to come later.
"I was thinking all the time when del Piero can come in. Morten Skoubo was involved in a tussle and he felt some dizziness and I took the opportunity to introduce del Piero," he said, adding that Skoubo should be fine for Delhi's second match after some rest.
