Istiklol defeated Khujand 2–1 in Tajikistan’s biggest football rivalry and moved to the top of the league table.
The match carried a strong Balkan storyline. Istiklol head coach Vitaliy Levchenko used all three Croatian players at his disposal: Frane Čirjak and Josip Tomašević started, while Frane Ikić came off the bench. Khujand boss Milan Milanović, meanwhile, named all four Serbian players in his starting XI — Petar Gigić, Nikola Eskić, Darko Isailović and Jovan Anđelković.
Khujand looked lively and attacked actively, but Istiklol opened the scoring in the 23rd minute. Muhammadjon Rahimov headed in after a cross from Manuchehr Safarov.
Khujand equalized in the 59th minute through Serbian striker Petar Gigić, who reacted quickest after a deflection inside the box. Gigić is the only player in the Tajik league currently valued at €1 million by Transfermarkt.
The winner came in stoppage time. In the 91st minute, Rustam Soirov headed home after a delivery from Alisher Jalilov.
It was Milan Milanović’s first defeat as Khujand head coach this season.
Istiklol moved top after title rival Vakhsh lost to Regar-TadAZ.