LARBAA, Algeria (Interstat) — Arba scored in stoppage time to complete a 2-1 comeback against WA Mostaganem in a competition match on Monday, overcoming an early deficit and a second half in which both teams finished with 10 men. The home side trailed at halftime but responded after the break and found the decisive goal in the 90+1 minute.

WA Mostaganem opened the scoring in the 38th minute and carried that lead into halftime. The visitors’ goal was the only scoring of the first half, leaving Arba to chase the match after the break. WA Mostaganem defended its advantage through the early stages of the second half before Arba found an answer. The opening goal gave WA Mostaganem a narrow advantage and forced Arba to increase its push forward after the interval.

Arba leveled in the 51st minute, scoring early in the second half to erase WA Mostaganem’s lead. The equalizer changed the match’s shape and set up a tense closing period. Neither side scored again during regulation time, and the game remained tied as it moved toward its final stages. Arba’s goal was its first of the match and came 13 minutes after WA Mostaganem had taken the lead.

The match grew more difficult for both teams in the 71st minute, when Arba was shown a red card. WA Mostaganem also received a red card in the same minute, leaving both sides with 10 men for the remainder of the match. The twin dismissals came with the score level and added pressure to a contest that had already tightened after Arba’s equalizer. Both teams had to adjust for the closing stretch, and neither could use a full complement of players as the match moved into its final phase.

Arba found the decisive goal in the 90+1 minute, scoring in stoppage time to take a 2-1 lead. WA Mostaganem could not answer before the final whistle, and Arba held on for the victory. The late goal completed the home side’s comeback after it had trailed since the 38th minute. It also capped a second half that included Arba’s equalizer and the two red cards in the 71st minute. The final whistle followed shortly after the goal, sealing Arba’s home victory.

The result leaves WA Mostaganem with one win, two losses and two draws in this competition, and the same record across all competitions. Arba is now one win, one loss and one draw in the competition and overall. Arba’s victory was its first in the competition this season, while WA Mostaganem remained on one win in competition play. WA Mostaganem’s competition record now includes two losses after the late setback, while Arba moved to .500 in competition play.

WA Mostaganem had entered the match after a scoreless draw with RC Kouba, a draw at Taghit, a home win over JSM Tiaret and a road loss at ASM Oran in previous competition matches. Arba had lost at Harrach and drawn at home against Saida in its prior competition matches. The previous results made the contest an important early-season meeting for both sides as they sought to stabilize their competition form. Arba’s previous draw with Saida and loss at Harrach left the home side searching for its first competition win, which it secured with the late goal. Those results gave both teams recent form to consider before kickoff, though the match itself unfolded as a tight contest decided late.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of WA Mostaganem 2, Arba 1. Its ELO system gave Arba a 60.4 percent probability to win, and Arba had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 3 went under the over/under line of 1.5.