Estonian reigning champions FCI Levadia Tallinn marked their 28th anniversary in dramatic fashion by coming from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Harju JK Laagri at A. Le Coq Arena. Even though they played the entire second half a man down following Nikoloz Kutateladze’s dismissal, Levadia snatched all three points courtesy of Maksimilian Skvortsov’s 96th-minute winner, which brought Harju’s impressive six-match unbeaten run to an end.
Levadia made several adjustments to their starting lineup for the fixture, welcoming Karl Andre Vallner back into goal and returning Rasmus Peetson to the midfield. Mark Oliver Roosnupp, Geovani, and Kutateladze were likewise handed starts by the coaching staff, while Mihkel Ainsalu remained completely absent from the matchday squad. On the opposing side, Harju made just a single change from their previous 3-1 victory over Flora Tallinn, bringing Andreas Kaevats back from suspension to replace Andreas Vaher.
Having previously stunned Flora with three goals inside the opening 18 minutes of their prior fixture, Harju once again made a flying start against one of Estonia’s leading clubs. In the tenth minute, Daniil Rudenko produced a moment of individual brilliance to hand the visitors the opening lead. After receiving a long pass from Laur on the left flank, Rudenko controlled the ball cleanly, skipped past Frank Liivak, and unleashed an outstanding strike from approximately 20 metres into the top corner, leaving Vallner with zero chance to make a save.
Despite conceding early in the match, Levadia gradually assumed complete control of possession and began pushing Harju deeper and deeper into their own half. The visitors defended with discipline throughout this spell, although they struggled to reproduce the attacking threat that had troubled Flora just days earlier. The home side’s sustained pressure eventually paid off in the 29th minute. Geovani combined brilliantly with Wendell inside the penalty area before squeezing a low shot through the legs of Harju goalkeeper Jan Vainula from a tight angle to restore parity.
Levadia continued to dominate proceedings after equalising and came close to completing a quick turnaround when Kutateladze struck the post following a corner kick. Wendell then wasted an excellent scoring opportunity in the 42nd minute after finding himself one-on-one with Vainula, but he failed to make proper contact with the ball. However, the first half took a dramatic turn just moments before the interval. Following a video assistant referee review, the referee showed Kutateladze a straight red card for violent conduct after the Georgian attacker struck Kaevats in the face near the centre circle. This dismissal left Levadia facing the entire second half with only ten men, despite having largely controlled the opening 45 minutes of play.
The numerical disadvantage inevitably altered the balance of the contest, with Harju enjoying a larger share of possession and the match becoming considerably more even. Early in the second half, Levadia briefly thought they had earned a golden opportunity to take the lead when the referee awarded a penalty kick following an incident involving Liivak and Laur inside the Harju penalty area. However, after reviewing the footage himself on the pitchside monitor, the referee overturned his original decision and instead booked Liivak for simulation.
Despite being a man down, Levadia continued searching persistently for a second goal. Roosnupp tested Vainula from a tight angle, while substitute Skvortsov became involved in another penalty appeal after going down following contact with Seck. The video assistant referee decided not to intervene in that instance, and play continued. Harju also had opportunities to capitalise on their extra player on the pitch. Their best chance arrived in the 80th minute when Karel Eerme found himself in an excellent position inside the penalty area, but he failed to make clean contact with the ball and sent his effort narrowly wide of the target.
The visitors subsequently thought they had secured the lead in the closing stages when a delivery from Marten Kelement found Laur, whose ball across the face of goal ended up in the net. However, that effort was correctly ruled out for offside. Levadia responded by making a quadruple substitution in the 86th minute, introducing Enock Otoo, Robert Kirss, Gregor Lehtmets, and Alexandre as they pushed for a late winner.
The tactical changes immediately added fresh energy to the home side’s attack. Lehtmets tested Vainula twice in quick succession, and Tammik also directed a header toward goal following a corner from Skvortsov, but the Harju goalkeeper remained alert. With eight minutes of stoppage time announced by the officials, the match produced yet another decisive twist when Harju substitute Ndakala received his second yellow card of the match for a high-foot challenge on Tammik, reducing the visitors to ten men as well.
Just moments later, Levadia completed their remarkable comeback. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Otoo drove purposefully into the Harju penalty area and delivered a dangerous pass across the goalmouth. Seck failed to clear the ball properly, allowing Skvortsov to react quickest and fire a powerful finish into the roof of the net. The dramatic winner sparked massive celebrations among the home supporters as Levadia secured a memorable victory on the club’s 28th anniversary.
With this defeat, Harju missed the crucial opportunity to draw level on points with fifth-placed Tartu Tammeka. They remain on 47 points with two matches remaining in their campaign, sitting three points behind Tammeka, who still have three games left to play. Harju’s next fixture will be a crucial away encounter against Tammeka the following Saturday, while reigning champions Levadia were scheduled to face the same opposition on Tuesday.
The match summary recorded FCI Levadia Tallinn versus Harju JK Laagri ending 2-1 after a 1-1 half-time score, with goals from Geovani in the 29th minute and Skvortsov in the 90+6th minute for the hosts, countering Rudenko’s 10th-minute strike for the visitors.
Source: balticfootballnews.com
