Kuruvchi's Jose Luis Villanueva (17).

TASHKENT: AFC Champions League quarter-finalists Kuruvchi sidelined Metallurg 2-1 to maintain their five-point lead atop the Uzbekistan League standings after 18 rounds recently.

Kuruvchi are on 48 points, five more than second-placed Pakhtakor but the former AFC Champions League side have a match in hand.

Goals from Ulugbek Bakaev (31) and Chilean import Jose Luis Villanueva (41) gave Kuruchi a 2-0 lead but Umid Tadjimov gave Metallurg some hope with a 47th minute strike. They, however, failed to find the equaliser which helped Mirjalol Kasimov’s side keep their five-point lead.

A hat-trick from Zaynitdin Tadjiyev helped Pakhtakor thrash Sogdiana 6-1. Ildar Magdeev opened the scoring for Pakhtakor in the 13th minute and Tadjiyev made 2-0 in the 22nd minute.

Fabio Pinto scored their third goal eight minutes later while Tadjiyev made it 4-0 three minutes later and completed his hat-trick in the 72nd minute. Magdeev scored their sixth goal four minutes later. Shahboz Erkinov netted Sogdiana’s solitary goal in the 58th minute.

In other matches, Lokomotiv defeated Kyzylkum 2-1, Mashal brushed aside Navabhor 5-0, Dynamo beat AGMK 1-0, UzDongJu lost to Bukhara 4-0, Neftchi downed Nasaf 1-0 and Shurtan lost to Andijan 1-0.