Maratha Warriors got the better of Sher-e-Jalandar via a 'silver goal' by Shivendra Singh in the 77th minute, in the Premier Hockey League in Chennai on Saturday night.
The match turned out to be a poor advertisement for hockey, with both teams dishing out lacklustre fare. The ball was put out of play too many times, and irritated spectators were seen mimicking cricket fans and shouting 'four' or 'six'.
Long balls which did not find any player, powerful drives that crossed the lines like bullets and players failing to trap reasonable forward were the order of the proceedings.
Gaganjit Singh was off-colour and missed connecting some good passes, especially a cross from Jarnil in the 40th minute. In the 65th minute, he again failed to connect a pass when he had just the goalkeeper to beat.
In the 50th minute, Maratha's goalkeeper Adrian D'Souza effected a splendid save when Jarnil attempted a strike.
Viren Rasquinna and Gurbaj Singh played well to lift their team, which did not put up a dynamic display like they did in their first match against Bangalore Lions.
The silver goal for Marathas resulted from a pass by Hemeni Gethe, which was slotted home by Shivaendra.
The Warriors had lost their first match to Bangalore Lions 1-2 on Friday.
In an earlier match, Dutch player T J Steller's strike during 'silver time' enabled Orissa Steelers beat Chandigarh Dynamos 1-0.
More from rediff