Premium Liiga champions FCI Levadia Tallinn managed to survive a late fightback from Nõmme United to secure a dramatic 4-3 away victory during Matchday 35. The visiting squad managed to overturn an initial deficit to build a two-goal lead, but United refused to surrender in a high-scoring seven-goal encounter staged at Sportland Arena.
With their championship title already locked up, Levadia entered the penultimate round of the season aiming to maintain their impressive winning form. On the other side of the pitch, Nõmme United were desperately fighting for their survival in the top flight after climbing out of the direct relegation play-off zone following a crucial victory over Narva Trans earlier in the week.
For this fixture, Levadia introduced several alterations to their starting lineup, handing Oliver Ani the goalkeeping duties in place of Karl Andre Vallner and deploying Robert Kirss to lead their attacking line. Prior to this match, Kirss had logged only 352 minutes of playing time in the Premium Liiga over the course of the season.
Despite going up against the newly crowned champions, United produced an exceptional start and immediately put the visitors under heavy pressure. Egert Õunapuu generated two promising scoring opportunities inside the opening three minutes of the contest, but goalkeeper Ani proved equal to both attempts.
The aggressive tactical approach employed by the hosts yielded results in the sixth minute when Kevin Mätas broke the deadlock to open the scoring. Experienced midfielders Andre Frolov and Zakaria Beglarishvili combined brilliantly to orchestrate the chance, with Beglarishvili executing a clever backheel to release Mätas into open space. The forward made no mistake with his execution, giving United a well-deserved early advantage.
Nevertheless, Levadia responded almost immediately by capitalizing on a costly defensive error in the tenth minute. United player Torres misplaced a backpass while under pressure, enabling Maksimilian Skvortsov to intercept the ball and shoot into an unguarded net to restore parity.
The visiting team completed their rapid turnaround just two minutes later. On this occasion, Ricky Chanda surrendered possession in a dangerous zone, which allowed Geovani to race through cleanly on goal. The Brazilian player calmly beat opposing goalkeeper Gregor Pürg with an outside-of-the-foot shot to put Levadia ahead by a 2-1 margin.
Following a frantic opening quarter-hour of play, the overall tempo gradually settled down. United issued appeals for a penalty kick in the 26th minute, but the referee elected to let play continue, while Kirss saw one of his efforts blocked at the opposite end of the pitch shortly thereafter.
As the first half progressed, Levadia enjoyed longer spells of possession, although United continued to compete fiercely and search for openings. The champions eventually extended their advantage during first-half stoppage time when Kirss delivered a precise cross from the right flank toward the far post.
Mark Oliver Roosnupp arrived ahead of the retreating defenders to convert from close range, making it 3-1 and handing Levadia a commanding lead heading into the half-time interval.
Nõmme United made a pair of substitutions at the break, introducing Koen Oostenbrink and Aleksandr Alteberg to replace Mätas and Chanda. The hosts gradually began to pose a threat once more, with Beglarishvili missing a promising opportunity in the 59th minute.
Their persistent efforts were rewarded shortly afterwards when Õunapuu narrowed the deficit to 3-2. Andre Järvelaid provided an excellent pass directly into the six-yard box, leaving the United forward with a straightforward finish from close range.
This goal instantly revived United’s hopes of salvaging a result from the match, even though Levadia continued generating chances of their own.
The hosts were dealt another blow when Geovani suffered an awkward fall onto his arm and required immediate medical attention. The Brazilian was substituted off for Lehtmets. The fresh substitute quickly inserted himself into the action, forcing goalkeeper Pürg into a spectacular save with a powerful close-range shot in the 73rd minute.
However, Lehtmets was not to be denied for long. Moments later, Skvortsov swung a corner kick into the penalty area, where Lehtmets found himself completely unmarked. The forward directed his header past the post and into the back of the net, re-establishing Levadia’s two-goal cushion at 4-2.
United answered back once more in the 78th minute, taking full advantage of a mistake made by Levadia goalkeeper Ani. After the goalkeeper misplaced an attempted pass, the hosts swiftly exchanged passes before Beglarishvili unleashed an accurate strike from roughly 18 metres out into the corner of the net, narrowing the scoreline to 4-3.
The closing stages grew increasingly tense as United pushed aggressively for an equalizer that could prove vital in their ongoing battle against relegation. Meanwhile, at the opposite end, Pürg kept his side in contention by pulling off another crucial save against Lehtmets in the 81st minute, while Enock Otoo fired a long-range effort narrowly wide five minutes later.
United continued to press heavily throughout the five minutes of added time. Mark Marmei sent a shot narrowly wide of the frame in the 90th minute, before Beglarishvili came agonizingly close to completing a dramatic comeback with a long-range strike that ultimately missed the target during stoppage time.
Levadia ultimately held firm to secure a 4-3 victory, leaving United empty-handed despite their remarkably spirited performance.
This result means United must wait until the final round of the season to determine their ultimate fate in the relegation play-off battle, currently holding a narrow one-point advantage over ninth-place Kuressaare, who possess two games still to play.
Match Summary: Nõmme United vs FCI Levadia Tallinn – 3-4 (1-3). Goals: Mätas 6′, Õunapuu 57′, Beglarishvili 78′ | Skvortsov 10′, Reis 11′, Roosnupp 45+1′, Lehtmets 73′.
SOURCE NAME: balticfootballnews.com
ORIGINAL HEADLINE: Levadia hold on to a win against United in a high-scoring game
Source: balticfootballnews.com
