Chennai Veerans defeated Bangalore Hi Fliers 5-4 via the tie-breaker in the Premier Hockey League at the Gachibowli hockey stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday.
With the teams finishing 2-2 after regulation time and the extra-time failing to break the deadlock, the match was extended to tie-breaker.
Bimal Lakra, Sandeep Singh and Juan Escarre scored for the Veerans while only Kuhan Shangmughanatahan and Sandeep Michael could score for Bangalore Hi-Fliers as Veerans won by a 5-4 verdict.
Veerans gained two points from the match to take their tally to five from seven matches while Hi-fliers earned one point to move to nine points from seven matches.
Maratha Warriors, with eight points from seven matches, will play Hi-Fliers on Saturday. The match will decide the third and fourth places.
Veerans, who can at best finish fifth and last, will play their final match on Friday against Sher-e-Jalandhar.
Failure of floodlights stalled the game in the first half of extra-time for a few minutes.
Len Aiyappa put the Hi-fliers ahead in the third minute before skipper Arjun Halappa increased the lead in the 24th.
But Sandeep Singh scored to reduce the margin at the close of the third quarter before Ignace Tirkey scored the equalizer in the 59th minute.
The attacking tactics of Hi-Fliers paid off early on as Aiyappa scored with a scoop to give his side the lead in the third minute.
In the second quarter Hi-Fliers extended the lead following a fine move and Halappa slammed the ball into the goal, beating custodian Devesh Chauhan hands down.
The celebration in Hi-Fliers team did not last long as Sandeep Singh's drag flick found the mark and the margin was reduced just before the third quarter ended.
Ignace Tirkey ignited the field with a superb flick into the net in the 59th minute to draw parity.
Chennai skipper Ignace, Raju and Escarre made some valiant efforts in the first quarter but could not make any deep inroads and hit the mark as the Bangalore custodian Bharat Chetri was in full control under the bar.
