East Bengal striker Yusif Yakubu battled through the emotional upheavel of losing his mother on Friday morning and guided his team to a come-from-behind 3-2 win over defending champions Churchill Brothers.
It was the Goa outfit's first defeat in the ongoing I-League season.
The Ghanaian striker did not let the death of his mother affect his on-field performance as he scored a brace (10th and 38th) while Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia scored one in the 53rd minute in their win at the floodlit Yuba Bharati Krirangan (YBK) in Kolkata on Friday.
The man-of-the-match effort from Yakubu enabled East Bengal to improve their table position with 16 points from 11 matches, while Churchill remained on 18 points from an equal number of matches.
East Bengal's win ended Churchill's 16-match unbeaten run.
