Almalyk kept Bunyodkor at bay in the first period before Rakhimov provided the first and only goal of the match 10 minutes into the second half. The win saw Bunyodkor maintain their supremacy at the top of the table with 44 points. Pakhtakor, who are to meet Locomotive, are 10 points behind.

Nasaf beat Khorezm 2-1 in a come-from-behind win, thanks to goals from Zafar Holumurodov (71) and Lutfulla Turaev (90) after Rustam Kurbanbaev had given the losing side the lead in the 51st minute.

Shurtan drew with Metallurg 2-2 in a high-scoring game that saw three goals in the second period. Metallurg sprang into the lead in the 29th minute through Zahid Abdullaev but Patrick Agbo restored parity in the 50th minute. Agbo’s team mate Yaroslav Krushelnitskiy made it 2-1 for Shurtan 13 minutes later. But Umid Tadjimov ensured a share of the spoils for Metallurg with his 87th minute strike.

In other matches, Neftchi defeated Navbahor 4-3, Andjian edged Dynamo 1-0 and Qyzylqum drew with Mashal 1-1.