A late strike from substitute Rei Tachikawa completed a dramatic turnaround as Jamshedpur FC defeated East Bengal 2-1 in an ISL-12 match at the Salt Lake Stadium on Friday.

The visitors registered their third consecutive victory to move to the top of the table with nine points from three matches, while East Bengal remain on six points following their first defeat of the campaign. Stephen Eze was adjudged the Player of the Match.

After two victories on the trot, Oscar Bruzon’s men were on a high, but Jamshedpur FC, under the wily Owen Coyle, were expected to do much better than the two teams East Bengal faced before Friday.

East Bengal broke the deadlock in the 40th minute. A throw-in from the left led to Bipin Singh delivering a cross into the box, where Edmund Lalrindika showed composure to beat his marker and guide a right-footed finish into the bottom-left corner past Albino Gomes.

The equaliser came in the 61st minute when Stephen Eze rose highest to meet Nikola Stojanovic’s corner and powered a header into the top right corner. Jamshedpur FC coach Owen Coyle’s change in the 84th minute proved pivotal as Tachikawa made an immediate impact.

In the 87th minute, Tachikawa initiated the move, combining with Mohammed Sanan before playing a clever one-two with Madih Talal. The Japanese midfielder then curled a sublime right-footed effort from the left side of the box into the top right corner.

In Bengaluru, Punjab FC recorded an upset 2-0 win over Bengaluru FC at the Kanteereva Stadium. Effiong Nsungusi scored both goals.