ELBASAN, Albania (Interstat) — AF Elbasani rallied past visiting Laci 2-1 on Sunday at Elbasan Arena in Elbasan, turning an early deficit into a narrow home victory. Laci struck first through Amadou Traore, but AF Elbasani answered quickly through Atdhe Mazari and then found the decisive goal after halftime. The match featured four yellow cards and a tense closing stretch, with AF Elbasani protecting its one-goal advantage through the final minutes. The home side had to manage the game carefully after taking the lead, while Laci pushed for an equalizer without finding a second goal. The victory gave AF Elbasani the better of a tight contest that was decided by a short burst of scoring and a second-half breakthrough. The visitors opened with purpose but could not build on their early goal.

Traore gave Laci the lead in the eighth minute, finishing after a bright opening from the visitors. Traore played the full 90 minutes and finished with one goal. AF Elbasani responded in the 12th minute when Mazari scored, leveling the match early and shifting the momentum back toward the home side. Mazari also played the full 90 minutes and finished with one goal. The home team broke the deadlock in the 67th minute with its second goal of the match, which proved to be the winner. Neither side added another goal before halftime, and the second half began with the same one-goal margin. AF Elbasani’s Gjini was booked in the 32nd minute, and Nikaj received a yellow card in the 33rd minute. Laci was shown a yellow card in the 78th minute, and AF Elbasani was booked again in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The late booking came as the home side worked to close out the result.

The second half opened with Laci seeking a response after falling behind, while AF Elbasani held its shape and limited clear chances. AF Elbasani led by one goal after the 67th minute, and Laci moved more numbers forward in search of an equalizer. AF Elbasani then defended through the final 20 minutes. There were four yellow cards in the match, with Gjini and Nikaj booked in quick succession for AF Elbasani before Laci received a yellow card in the 78th minute. AF Elbasani picked up another yellow card in the fifth minute of stoppage time as it saw out the closing moments. Laci could not produce a second goal despite its late pressure, and AF Elbasani held on for the home win.

The result moved AF Elbasani’s competition record to 2 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws, while Laci fell to 1 win, 3 losses and 1 draw in the competition. Across all competitions, AF Elbasani is now 2 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws, and Laci is 2 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw. AF Elbasani had entered the match after a home win against Partizani in its previous competition outing, while Laci had drawn at Skenderbeu in its previous competition match. Earlier in the season, Laci had beaten Vora at home and Kelcyra by an 8-2 margin, but it had also lost to KF Tirana and Egnatia. AF Elbasani had drawn with Teuta and Vora and had lost at Skenderbeu before beating Partizani. Both sides had already shown uneven form in the early part of the campaign, and the three-goal contest added another tight result to the league’s recent run of matches.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of AF Elbasani 1, Laci 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected AF Elbasani with a 79 percent probability to win. The total score of 3 went under the over/under line of 2.5.