FC Flora secured a crucial 2-0 home victory over already-relegated Narva Trans during Matchday 35 of the Estonian Premium Liiga, successfully strengthening their aspirations of finishing inside the top three positions and qualifying for European competition in the next season. Vladislav Kreida broke the deadlock through an impressive long-range strike in the second half before Sergei Zenjov doubled the advantage in a fixture that additionally featured Trans midfielder German Šlein receiving a red card following a VAR review.
As they entered the penultimate round of fixtures, Flora fully understood that securing a victory was essential within the intensely contested race for the remaining podium spots. Their opponents, Narva Trans, had previously suffered relegation from the division yet travelled to the Sportland Arena with clear determination to frustrate the home side.
Flora made a notable alteration in goal for the fixture, utilizing Kaur Kivila to replace Evert Grünvald, which marked Kivila’s first appearance in the Premium Liiga since the month of August. Meanwhile, Erik Sorga was left out of the matchday squad completely, which meant experienced forward Sergei Zenjov was tasked with leading the team’s attacking line. Trans likewise rotated their options in the goalkeeping department by handing Mark Zahharov an opportunity to start, whilst young defender Emilis Petkus made only his second league start of the campaign.
The hosts assumed control of possession straight from the opening whistle and immediately began generating pressure utilizing set-piece situations. Flora successfully won four corner kicks inside the opening six minutes of the encounter, although Trans defended against them effectively and managed to avert any clear-cut scoring opportunities. Antonov attempted an early shot following one of those corners, but he failed to cause any trouble for Zahharov.
Trans registered their very first attempt on goal when Gero tested his luck from a tight angle, though his shot missed the intended target entirely. At the opposite end of the pitch, Sander Alamaa grew increasingly involved in Flora’s overall attacking build-up play, frequently seeking to engineer opportunities down the flank. One of his low deliveries nearly reached Zenjov directly inside the penalty box, but the forward proved unable to bring the football under his control.
Despite maintaining absolute dominance over possession, Flora continuously struggled to break down a well-disciplined Trans defensive unit. Their offensive efforts were predominantly restricted to crosses and corners, with the visiting team successfully reducing the quantity of hazardous situations developing inside their own penalty area.
The initial significant test for Zahharov arrived during the 39th minute of the match when Kolobov unleashed a powerful long-range effort following yet another Flora corner kick. The Trans goalkeeper was compelled to stretch fully and produced a quality save to deny the hosts the opening goal of the game.
Just moments prior to the half-time interval, Agaptšev was shown a yellow card for bringing down Tovstik and thus halting a promising Flora offensive move. That booking also resulted in a suspension that ruled him out of Trans’ concluding league fixture against Harju.
Flora headed into the half-time break visibly frustrated by their ongoing inability to convert total dominance into actual goals. The hosts had enjoyed a greater share of possession, registered a total of six attempts compared to just one from Trans, and accumulated nine corners without conceding any in return, yet the scoreline remained deadlocked at 0-0.
Trans instituted a triple substitution at the half-time interval, introducing Besigirskis, Kudriashov, and Irie to take the places of Filatov, Miranda, and Agaptšev. Nevertheless, Flora continued dictating the flow of proceedings after the restart, with Alamaa remaining as one of the primary attacking outlets for the hosts.
Early in the second half, Alamaa located Varjund inside the penalty area, and Varjund attempted to set up Zenjov directly in front of the goal, but the experienced forward failed to produce a clean finish. Zenjov subsequently obtained another chance following a corner kick, although his effort missed the target, whilst Alamaa also tested Zahharov with a distance shot.
Flora elevated their attacking pressure around the hour mark and generated two promising opportunities in rapid succession. During the 61st minute, Zenjov accepted a pass from Varjund and fired directly toward the goal, but his shot travelled straight to Zahharov, who claimed a comfortable save. Moments later, Alamaa cut inward from the corner of the penalty area and forced the goalkeeper to make another vital stop.
The hosts maintained their heavy pressure and the approach finally paid off. Alamaa supplied the decisive pass to Vladislav Kreida, who discovered space roughly 25 metres away from the goal and unleashed a precise long-range strike directed toward the bottom corner. Zahharov was unable to reach the ball as it sailed just inside the goalpost, presenting Flora with a thoroughly deserved 1-0 lead.
Trans very nearly produced an immediate response merely two minutes later. Petkus found himself completely unmarked right in front of the goal and tried to finish from close range, but Kivila came up with a crucial save. The resulting rebound fell directly to Campagna, who fired his shot over the crossbar, thereby wasting the absolute best scoring opportunity of the match for the visitors.
Having successfully survived that defensive scare, Flora managed to double their advantage in the 77th minute courtesy of Zenjov. Kuraksin delivered an accurate cross from the right flank, and the experienced forward climbed high inside the six-yard box to direct a header straight into the back of the net, pushing the score to 2-0.
However, the goal was not validated immediately, as the referee received instructions to review a potential foul committed by Zenjov upon Ivanjushin during the build-up phase. After thoroughly examining the incident on the pitchside monitor, referee Lorenz permitted the goal to stand, officially confirming Flora’s two-goal advantage.
The on-field controversy persisted shortly thereafter when Trans player German Šlein was initially presented with a yellow card for a challenge on Zenjov. The incident immediately ignited a confrontation among players, with Flora’s Varjund also picking up a booking. Following an additional VAR review process, Lorenz overturned Šlein’s initial yellow card and instead handed him a straight red card for stepping directly onto Zenjov’s foot, which left Trans forced to complete the match with only ten men on the pitch.
Equipped with both a two-goal cushion and a numerical advantage, Flora comfortably managed the closing stages of the game and carved out further opportunities to widen their margin of victory. Substitute Zotov set up Usta inside the penalty box, but the forward’s stretched effort missed the target by a narrow margin.
Zotov additionally came close to registering his very first official goal for Flora during the third minute of stoppage time, only to be denied yet again by another close-range save from Zahharov. Usta also tested the Trans goalkeeper prior to the blowing of the final whistle, but the visitors managed to prevent conceding a third goal.
The 2-0 victory earned Flora three valuable points, keeping them securely in third place as they head into the concluding round of the Premium Liiga season. Boasting a one-point advantage over fourth-placed Nõmme Kalju, Flora remain completely in control of their own European qualification destiny.
Flora will conclude their league campaign next Saturday via an away fixture against Paide Linnameeskond, whilst Kalju face a difficult away trip to take on the already-crowned champions FCI Levadia.
Flora Tallinn vs JK Narva Trans – 2-0 (0-0) Goals: Kreida 69′, Zenjov 77′.
SOURCE NAME: balticfootballnews.com
ORIGINAL HEADLINE: Kreida’s long-range strike helps Flora beat Trans and retain third place ahead of final round
Source: balticfootballnews.com
