Salgaocar Sports Club of Goa rode on a late penalty to get past Tollygunge Aggragami 2-1 in an insipid ninth National Football League encounter in Kolkata on Thursday.
Striker Felix Ibrebru scored both the goals for the winners, who logged three valuable points to bolster their kitty to 22 from 17 outings.
Nigerian Akeem Abolanle scored for Tollygunge, who further endangered their position in the relegation zone with 15 points from 17 matches.
Salgaocar dominated the proceedings in the Salt Lake stadium exchange as Tollygunge relied on an overtly defensive strategy in a desperate bid to at least get a solitary point.
After a goalless first half, the Tollygunge resistance finally collapsed in the 60th minute as Felix tapped home a measured centre from Jerose Oliveira.
The goal prompted Tollygunge to come out of their defensive shell and the Kolkata outfit launched a series of moves to taste success 11 minutes later.
Chinmoy Sarkar essayed a fine pass from the middle, and Akeem showed fine opportunism to let loose a snap right-footer which rocketed into the goal.
However, Tollygunge's relief was short-lived. In the 77th minute, an advancing Bhuvan Joshi was tripped from behind by Tollygunge substitute Ramu Adhikari in his own box, and referee Arjunan awarded a penalty to the Goans.
The Tollygunge players protested, but Arjunan stood firm. Felix made no mistake in converting the set piece.