FIERI, Albania (Interstat) — Apolonia Fier defeated Maliqi 3-1 on Wednesday at Stadiumi Loni Papuçiu in Fieri, using an early burst and a second-half goal to secure the result. Muhamed Mehmeti opened the scoring in the 17th minute, and Alvin Mahmutaj doubled the lead two minutes later. Derrick Owusu added the third in the 67th minute. Maliqi scored once but could not close the gap. Mehmeti, Mahmutaj and Owusu each finished with a goal. Apolonia Fier improved to 1-0 in the competition and 1-0 across all competitions. Maliqi dropped to 0-1 in the competition and 0-1 across all competitions. Apolonia Fier’s victory at Stadiumi Loni Papuçiu gave the hosts a winning start, while Maliqi remained without a win in its opening game. Apolonia Fier set the tone with two goals in a three-minute span, then added insurance after halftime. Maliqi’s response produced one goal, but the visitors could not build sustained pressure. The result gave Apolonia Fier a clean start in the competition and left Maliqi still seeking its first victory.