Navbahor beat Bunyodkor 4-3 in the Uzbekistan Super League's regular season round 17 on Thursday. The hosts took all three points at home in a match that swung back and forth until the final whistle. To be fair, neither side could be said to have controlled proceedings for long stretches.
Giyosov opened the scoring in the fifth minute, a sharp finish that gave the home side early belief. Norchaev levelled from the spot just before the quarter-hour mark, and then Abdunabiev struck twice in rapid succession at 38 and 39 minutes to put Navbahor ahead. By then the match had already taken on a frantic quality.
Pletnev pulled one back for the visitors in the 52nd minute, but Kholmatov restored the two-goal cushion shortly after. Muhammadov added a fourth in the 70th minute, and for a while it looked as though the result was beyond doubt. And here's the thing — Bunyodkor refused to go away.
Jiyanov converted a penalty in the 89th minute to set up a nervy finale, but the hosts held on. There were substitutions throughout, with both managers making changes in search of a result. Tursunmahammadov came off in the 71st minute, while Abdunabiev was replaced himself in the 88th.
Navbahor enjoyed 58 per cent possession and registered seven shots on target, while the visitors managed four. Both sides missed more than they hit — 10 off-target efforts for the hosts against just two for Bunyodkor. The statistics tell you about dominance, but not always about who deserved to win.
The victory moves Navbahor further clear in third place with 20 points from 20 games. Bunyodkor remain 15th with 19 points, and the gap between them is now significant. Three or four moments decided this match, and the rest was noise.