Lokomotiv claimed a 3-1 away win against Khorezm in the Superleague's 18th round, played on 20 August 2026. The visitors turned around an early deficit to secure all three points, ending a run of mixed results that had seen them drop points in three of their last five games. And here's the thing — the match was decided in the opening half, not when the scoreboard flipped.
Quddus Abrayev gave Khorezm the lead in the seventh minute before S. Khamidzhonov equalised for Lokomotiv sixteen minutes later. By then, the visitors had already shown they would not be pushed back. S. Nurulloev restored Lokomotiv's advantage shortly after the break, and J. Yakhshiboev sealed the result seventy-seven minutes in. The visiting side took three sharp chances when it mattered, while Khorezm offered little in reply.
The statistics tell a flat story — both sides recorded nearly identical possession at 50 per cent, and the attack counts barely separated them. Yet Lokomotiv landed five shots on target to Khorezm's three, and that margin proved decisive. Four yellow cards went to the visitors compared with just one for the hosts, a sign that Lokomotiv's intensity did not always find clean lines.
The departure of Abrayev in the forty-sixth minute for U. Sultonov should have been a warning for Khorezm, but the hosts failed to respond. Rafael Sabino came on for Lokomotiv in the fifty-seventh minute, and the visitors grew more comfortable as the game settled. The substitution pattern suggested Lokomotiv's coach had already mapped out how to protect the lead.
The result leaves Khorezm thirteenth on twenty points from twenty games, while Lokomotiv move up to sixth with thirty-two points. The gap between them is twelve points, and the visitors have now won nine of their twenty matches this season. Khorezm's recent form — two draws and a victory in their last three before this defeat — offered no real protection against a side that knew how to manage the game.