On Tuesday, Sigitas Olberkis scored his first goal for Elbasani, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win, as the team was eliminated from the Albanian Cup after a penalty shootout against Vllaznia.
The two teams had previously faced off at the Elbasani club stadium, where their first leg match ended in a 0-0 draw. However, the return match offered much more excitement, concluding in a thrilling 3-3 draw after regular time.
Elbasani took a 2-1 lead at the start of the second half, but Vllaznia quickly equalized with a goal from Erdenis Gurishta. As the match approached its finale, Vllaznia pulled ahead with a goal in the 90th minute, seemingly on the brink of victory. Yet, in dramatic fashion, Olberkis found the back of the net with a powerful header from a corner kick in the sixth minute of added time, forcing the game into extra time.
The additional 30 minutes saw both teams unable to score, leading to a tense penalty shootout to decide who would advance to the semi-finals. Vllaznia emerged victorious, winning 5-4 in the shootout. Both teams had missed two of their initial five shots, but Elbasani fell short by missing their seventh attempt, resulting in their elimination from the competition.
Looking ahead, Olberkis and Elbasani will face Partizani this Saturday in their next league match