Bengaluru FC secured qualification to the play-offs and ended Chennaiyin FC's race for the top six after a 1-0 win in their Indian Super League match here on Tuesday.
Chennaiyin FC, who now have 24 points from 22 games, will not make the playoffs, whereas the Blues see themselves at the third spot courtesy 37 points as a result of this triumph.
The Gerard Zaragoza-coached side held 57.1 per cent of the possession and were constantly in the hunt for goals, though their only strike of the night came through Rahul Bheke's emphatic finish inside the box in the first half.
Prior to that, though, Chennaiyin FC had nearly cracked the code to carve open the Bengaluru FC defence in the ninth minute, with Jiteshwor Singh leading the move down the centre of the park before distributing the ball to the flanks to try and spot openings inside the home team's defensive third.
The Marina Machans moved the ball slickly on the up from the right flank before Connor Shields glided in and hurled a cros