Mumbai FC sprung a surprise as they shocked East Bengal 3-2 in an I-League round 12 match here on Monday.
Afghani midfielder Ahmad Hatife had the East Bengal defence in tatters when he scored Mumbai FC’s second goal before being sent off for a second yellow.
Hatife scored in the 37th minute after Cavin Lobo (32nd) had cancelled out a Yusif Yakubu’s 2nd minute opener for Mumbai.
NP Pradeep further extended the home side’s advantage in the 65th minute before Ryuji Sueoka popped in from close range to halve the deficit in the 87th minute. But that proved to be too little too late for the away side.
The win helped Mumbai FC climb one spot above Mohun Bagan to 10th after 11 matches. East Bengal are just above Mumbai FC at ninth spot with 11 points.
East Bengal tried every trick to get Mumbai FC on the defensive but they resisted to come away with all three points.