Mohun Bagan Super Giant maintained its position at the top of the standings with a thrilling 3-2 victory over a resilient Odisha FC in an ISL-13 fixture at the Salt Lake Stadium on Thursday.

Odisha twice fought back to restore parity after Bagan had taken the lead, but Lee Erwin’s 86th-minute strike eventually settled the issue in the host’s favour. All five goals came in the second half.

Registering its third consecutive home win and fourth victory on the trot, Bagan tallied 12 points from five matches while Odisha remained on two from four.

Dejan Drazic broke the deadlock immediately after the restart, finishing Anirudh Thapa’s through ball in the 46th minute. Odisha responded six minutes later when Mahmoud Eid converted Nihal Sudeesh’s cross to draw level.

Drazic regained Bagan’s lead in the 73th, diverting home substitute Lallianzuala Chhangte’s cutback with his knee. A defensive mix-up five minutes later allowed Everton Nascimento to unleash a superb right-footed finish past Vishal Kaith to make it 2-2.

With a draw looming, Erwin proved the match-winner in the 86th minute, slotting home after Odisha failed to clear Subhasish Bose’s cross that was helped into the box by Thapa.

The first half saw Odisha goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari produce several impressive saves, while Bagan squandered multiple opportunities. The host also had two penalty appeals for handball against Odisha defender Saurabh Bhanwala turned down by referee Tejas Nagvenkar.

The results: Mohun Bagan SG 3 (Dejan Drazic 46, 73, Lee Erwin 86) bt Odisha FC 2 ( Mahmoud Eid 52, Everton Nascimento 78).

At Margao: Churchill Brothers 0 lost to NorthEast United 2 (Ethyan Gonzalez 16, Antonio Moyano 90+3).