Laktaši made quick work of Slavia in the second round of the First League - RS, running out 4-1 winners at home on Friday evening. The result extends a comfortable margin the hosts had already established earlier in the season, when they beat Slavia 3-1 on 31st May. Slavia's return to the fixture carried little momentum, having drawn 1-1 with Velež Nevesinje on their most recent outing.
And here's the thing — the home side didn't wait long to assert control. Laktaši had been building toward this moment, picking up a convincing 3-0 win over Zvijezda 09 just a week earlier. By contrast, Slavia's preparation seemed fragmented. They'd found the net against Velež but couldn't close out the game, and against Laktaši they were left exposed from the opening exchanges.
Laktaši's form since May suggests a side finding its rhythm. Their previous meetings with Slavia in the calendar year showed a clear pattern: three wins across two fixtures, with goals coming from different sources. The 4-1 scoreline doesn't tell the full story of their dominance — but it does confirm they've moved on from the 3-1 result of five months ago.
To be fair, Slavia aren't without their positives. A 3-0 victory over Kozara Gradiska earlier in May showed they could dismantle opposition when in form. But that result sits alongside two goalless draws and a heavy defeat to Laktaši in the same period. The visitors were out of sight by half-time here, and the gap between their best and worst performances remains too wide.
By then, the second leg of this fixture had become little more than a formality. Laktaši's recent record — three wins and two draws across their last five matches — suggests a side settling into the new campaign. Slavia's inconsistency, meanwhile, has been a constant theme. They'll need to find a way to match up against teams that can punish them, or this result will prove to be another reminder of where things stand.