Chandigarh: A last-minute goal by Robert Green helped Chandigarh Comets beat struggling Mumbai Marines 4-3 and assure themselves a semi-final berth in the World Series Hockey on Wednesday.
Locked at 3-3 and with barely couple of minutes remaining for the final hooter, Comets led by Pakistani international Rehan Butt earned their sixth penalty corner.
However, failing to convert it, lady luck still smiled on the Comets as the ball had not been cleared by the Marines defenders and Green made good use of the opportunity that came his way to seal the issue in his team's favour.
With Comets clearly dominating the initial proceedings, the match later saw the fortunes fluctuate and Marines coming from behind to put up a spirited fight.
High on confidence, Comets took an early lead with Ramandeep Singh scoring in the 7th minute. Few minutes later, Gurjinder Singh made the scoreline read 2-0 by converting a penalty corner.
In the second quarter, Amir Khan put his team on the top as his reverse hit beat the Mumbai goalkeeper. Pushed to the wall, Marines' Banmali Xess scored the first goal for his team a few seconds from the half-time.
Australia's Troy Sutherland narrowed the lead in the 15th minute of the third quarter. Marines resorted to some aggressive hockey to build pressure on the home favourites.
The visitors earned their fourth penalty corner in the opening minutes of the last quarter after having failed to convert earlier chances, but Sutherland squandered the opportunity. Ajmer Singh scored the equaliser for Marines through a penalty corner.
With this win, Comets now have 25 points, the same as Sher-E-Punjab.
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