TASHKENT: Kuruvchi held defending champions Pakhtakor 1-1 to keep their two-point lead in the Uzbekistan League after 16 rounds recently.

Chilean import Jose Luis Villanueva gave Kuruvchi the lead in the eighth minute but Zaynitdin Tadjiyev restored the parity in the stoppage time to earn a point for his side.

Kuruvchi are on 42 points after 13 victories and three draws, two more than Pakhtakor.

Third-placed Neftchi played a 1-1 draw with Sogdiana after Ilya Kovalenko’s 34th minute strike for Neftchi was cancelled out by Shahboz Erkinov nine minutes into the second half.

In other matches, Andijan beat Mash’al 2-0, Nasaf downed UzDongJu by the same scoreline, Navbakhor brush aside Metallurg 3-0, Kyzylkum lost to Shurtan 2-0, AGMK overcame Lokomotiv 4-3 and Bukhara beat Dynamo 1-0.