October 31, 2023
These diaries’ only excursion into Estonian football so far this season was to report on an Esiliiga match back in May. However, with the 2023 season approaching its conclusion it was time to take a look at what was happening in the Meistriliiga.
With three rounds of the league season remaining, most eyes may have been focused on the battle at the top of the table with Flora three points ahead of Levadia but with a likely title decider due to be held on Sunday when the two sides meet for the final time in the league.
Elsewhere in the league, today’s meeting between Harju and Tallinna Kalev had potential ramifications for both the relegation and European places.
Background To Harju
Harju are in their first ever season in the top flight of Estonian football after winning the 2022 Esiliiga, which was their fourth promotion in a row. They are based in the town of Laagri, which Wikipedia reports has a population of just over 5,000, and is approximately 15km south of the capital Tallinn.
Harju started the day at the bottom of the table, two points behind Tammeka Tartu, but hopeful of overhauling them in their last three games to move into 9th and the promotion/relegation play-off place. Indeed, Tammeka are on a dreadful run of one win in their last 18 matches, losing their last six, with their last outing being a 2-7 hammering at home to today’s visitors Tallinna Kalev. If Harju were able to finish above Tammeka, they would secure a two-legged tie against Viimsi JL, who are guaranteed to finish second or third in the Esiliiga, as rivals Flora U21 are ineligible for promotion to the Meistriliiga and hence play in the same division as their first team.
Despite their struggles, Harju have maintained good support from their fans, with an average home attendance this season of 404, to be the 4th best supported team in the league behind Flora, Paide and Levadia.
The Laagri Kunstmurustaadion has an artificial surface and an official capacity of 1,000. There is a running track around the pitch and the facilities for spectators look spartan, with just three rows of uncovered seats along one side of the pitch in front of the clubhouse.
Harju had a disastrous start to life in the elite, taking just one point from their first 10 games, but have gradually adjusted to the top table to have 5 wins and 7 draws from 33 matches. Their first victory was a remarkable 2-1 home triumph over Levadia to inflict a first defeat of the season on the title challengers, and wins at Parnu and Narva plus at home to Tammeka and Kalju have followed. They also managed a surprise draw at Levadia, only conceding the equaliser in the 98th minute.
Harju’s goals have been spread around the team, with Karel Usta being the top scorer with 5 goals. Keeper Ivans Baturins is Latvian and played from Ventspils and Tukums 2000 in his homeland and for Legion in Estonia. Winger Daniil Rudenko is Ukrainian and midfielder Usalifa Indi comes from Guinea-Bissau. Reinhard Reimaa played 7 seasons for Kalev.
The coach of Harju is 35 year-old Portuguese Victor da Silva.
Tallinna Kalev Background
Kalev have featured in these diaries before, when they lost 0-3 at Tammeka in December 2021 in the promotion/relegation play-off, from which only centre-back Kaspar Laur is still with the club from the players that represented Kalev that day. However, Atse Purje ( 69 caps ) was injured and was only named on the bench and experienced long serving defensive midfielder Marek Kaljumae ( 5 caps ) was missing that day, presumably injured. Harju’s Reinhard Reimaa was Kalev’s right-back that day.
Kalev were also mentioned during the four reviews of the 2020 Estonian season prepared by these diaries.
Despite losing the 2021 play-off, Kalev were elevated to the Meistriliiga when Viljandi Tulevik opted for voluntary relegation due to financial difficulties, and they avoided relegation in 2022 with an 8th placed finish.
However, this season has been a revelation as they started the day in 4th place, two points behind Paide, and were one of four sides in contention for either the third place finish for European football, or fourth place should the winner of the Estonian Cup be one of the top three. The Estonian Cup straddles two seasons, so the quarter-finals and onwards will be played early in the 2024 season !
Kalev had a 12-10-11 record and they had achieved a draw with both Flora and Levadia, as well as two wins and two draws over Paide Linnameeskond.
Kalev are currently playing at the 5,000 capacity Kadrioru Stadium in Tallinn, as they are still to return to the newly renovated Kalevi stadium due to a dispute with the Estonian FA.
Estonian legend and ex-Liverpool centre-back Ragnar Klavan ( 129 caps ) is now the President of Kalev and at the age of 38 has been called upon to make 7 appearances this season. Keeper Oskari Forsman featured in these diaries whilst with Finnish side IFK Mariehamm in 2020.
Tristan Teevali had scored 8 goals as has Paide Gambian loanee Foday Trawally. Striker Alexsandr Sapovalov was on loan from Flora and was their most valuable player according to Transfermrkt at €150K.
Previous Meetings
Kalev had the edge in the three previous encounters so far this season, with two wins and a draw so far. Kalev won the first meeting 2-1 in Laagri in front of a crowd of 371, whilst the matches in Tallinn were a 1-1 draw with 413 in attendance and then a 2-1 win before 419 spectators.
Matchday Information
The match was streamed live on YouTube via the Estonian league website. Bet365 also live streamed the match and made Kalev evens favourites, with Harju 21/10 outsiders and the draw also at 12/5.
After snow at the weekend, it was raining heavily at the 18.00 local kick-off time and the temperature was around 6 degrees.
To help attract support Harju were offering free soft seat mats and blankets in the main stand, and free cups of tea ! Perhaps they should have also offered umbrellas or plastic macs as protection from the rain, although everyone should have come prepared ! The bad weather was the likely reason why today’s attendance was significantly below the season’s average.
Tickets were €7 at the gate, or €5 in advance.
Harju made three changes to their starting line-up that had drawn 0-0 at Parnu at the weekend, with Ukrainian centre-half Danyl Mashchenko, defender Jako Kariste and striker Karel Eerme coming into the side with Mark Edur and Kristjan Kriis dropping to the bench and Kaarel Usta suspended.
Kalev made two changes, with George Pank replaced Smirnov and unusually for an outfield player wearing number 1, and Trawally replaced the suspended Sapovalev
Harju were playing in an all-red kit, whilst Kalev were in white shirts and blue shorts.
Match Report
It was already very dark at the kick-off and the floodflights were shining brightly, but already raindrops were on the lens of the main camera, and partially obscured views of the game.
Both sides had dangerous crosses into the penalty area in the opening three minutes but both came to nothing.
Harju’s Indi became the first player to be shown a yellow card after only 5 minutes. In possession but with his back to Teevali, he elbowed the Kalev player in the stomach. It looked to be deliberate and the Harju midfielder looked lucky to avoid a red card.
The first attempt on goal arrived a minute later. Kaljumae played a nice ball from the left wing towards the near post where Mihhailov’s flick on the stretch was saved at close range by Baturins, but the referee awarded a goal-kick.
The home side hit back in the 9th minutes as Rudenko went on a mazy run down the left, got past his marker but his shot from a narrow angle was blocked by a covering defender. The loose ball ran to Roomussaar just outside the edge of the area, but his effort was easily saved.
Harju continued to press and from a short corner routine, a dangerous ball from Roomussaar into the 6-yard box was cleared only as far as Rudenko who stepped inside onto his left foot only to be brought down. Rudenko took the free-kick on the edge of the area but could only blast the ball into the defensive wall, and his follow-up from the rebound was deflected wide for another corner.
This time the corner from Roomussaar was played low to the Rudenko on the edge of the area but the Ukrainian on the run fired well over the bar.
A forward header from just inside the Kalev half put Trawally clear, and seeing the Harju keeper well off his line the Gambian attempted to chip the bouncing ball over the keeper from 35 yards only to put it into the side netting. He probably should have shown more patience and controlled the ball and ran towards the goal.
Kalev were starting to get on top, and Baturins needed to make a good catch under his crossbar to Kovaltsuk’s in-swinging corner. Kovaltsuk next delivery was not so clever though, landing onto the roof of the net.
With 22 minutes played a raking cross from the right wing found Kovaltsuk beyond the far post, but his header hit a defender and went off for a corner. A few minutes later, as an indication of the strength of the wind, Sotsugov’s cross intended for the Kalev attackers queuing up on the edge of the attack caught the wind and curled harmlessly over the bar.
Just after the half-hour Reimaa body-checked Teevali but the 30-yard free-kick was straight at the Harju keeper who made a regulation save.
The best chance of the first half fell to the visitors in the 34th minute. Harju gave away possession just inside the half-way line and Trawally gathered and ran at the defence. He passed to Kovaltsuk whose defensive splitting pass put Kaljumae in space in the left-hand side of the Harju area. The midfielder shot first team as Mashchenko attempted make a diving block, attempting to side-foot right footed into the opposite top corner, but keeper Baturins made a good save to tip over the bar.
The Harju keeper continued to demonstrate safe handling, catching Sotsugov’s cross before Trawally could reach it and the home side created another half-chance 8 minutes before the break, but Usta headed poorly, high and wide from 8 yards from an inviting cross by Rudenko.
The last action of the first half saw Kalev defender Laur head wide at the far post under pressure from Jarve.
The statistics at half-time showed that Kalev had 63% of the possession but the goalless score at the interval felt right as there had been very few clear-cut chances.
Harju went onto the attack from the off in the second period as Reimaa shot into the side-netting from a tight angle, then Indi shot wildly over the large netting behind the goal and the ball bounced out of the ground. However, Kalev were soon back in control, firstly lobbing a ball into the mixer only for Trawally to infringe, and then after several attempts were crowded out by the Harju defence, Trawally played off to Mihhailov inside the 6 yard box, but Baturins made an important close-range block to keep the game scoreless.
Harju were overhitting their long balls forward, with Forsman gathering under no pressure as perhaps they were misjudging the strength of the wind. Rudenko then showed good skill to beat his marker on the left-hand touchline with a Cruyff turn and played the ball down the line for Eerme, but the cross was appalling and sailed harmlessly over the goal for a goal-kick.
Baturins again did well to tip away a corner from the awaiting Kalev attackers, but the opening goal of the game arrived in the 60th minute in fortunate circumstances. Kovaltsuk crossed from the left in an attempt to reach Trawally inside the Harju penalty area, but Kariste’s attempted interception sliced off his foot and over the stranded keep to bounce into the roof of the net.
VAR took a look at the goal, and although Trawally was at least 3 yards offside, under the current interpretation of the offside law, he was not interfering with play so the goal stood. As an illustration of how poor the current offside law is, had Kariste done nothing and allowed the ball to reach Trawally, it would have been offside. In any case, Kalev now led 1-0.
A few minutes later Kalev could have doubled their lead but after a scramble in the Harju area, Trawally’s was denied by a close-range block by the keeper. Harju were on the rocks and Kariste was shown the yellow card for a handball to prevent Mihhailov going clear, and Usta entered the referee’s notebook for chopping down Teevali after losing control of the ball. Substitute Edur also received a yellow card less than a minute after entering the action, misjudging a bouncing ball and pushing over Mihhailov to prevent the Kalev forward going clear down the right-hand touchline.
The home side then were able to briefly apply some pressure on the Kalev goal. Indi had a long-range shot deflected for a corner, which was delivered to beyond the far post, where a Kalev defender’s attempted clearance was badly headed back across the face of goal, but the unmarked Kariste was unable to redeem himself, and headed weakly wide from 10 yards. With 10 minutes left to play a ball into the Kalev area from the right struck an unwitting defender and fell kindly for keeper Forsman to gather.
A minute later a second own goal doubled the lead for Kalev. A quick counter attack saw the influential Kovaltsuk play in Jurisoo who unselfishly attempted to square the ball to Mihhailov for a tap-in, but the ball stuck Edur on the knee and diverted past the helpless Baturins and into the goal.
It looked like it was game over, but Harju had a chance to pull a goal back almost immediately as Jarva at the back post six yards out completely missed the ball into the area from Indi. With 5 minutes remaining it looked like Harju had been granted a life-line when Rudenko’s ball from the left struck the arm of Pank and the referee awarded a penalty.
Pank’s arm was close to his body but did appear to move towards the ball. It was one of those incidents that is always a penalty when it is in favour of your team, but never a penalty if it goes against you. VAR instructed the referee to have a look at the pitch side monitor, and the decision was reversed.
The wind had been taken out of Harju’s sails and the game drifted to its conclusion. There was still time for Kalev’s Smirnov to receive a ridiculous yellow card for intercepting a throw from a ball-boy to a Harju player for a throw-in and then slam the ball into the ground. Perhaps he had been partaking in the vodka named after him such was the stupidity of his action.
In added on time, Mihhailov showed outrageous skill to keep the ball in play with a back flick but the move was snuffed out.
At the final whistle, Kalev deservedly took the three points and moved level with Paide on points. Harju remained bottom, but although their last two games are away from home, they face Kuressaare and Tammeka, the two side immediately above them. They can still move off the bottom and into the relegation play-off with two wins.
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPpDzv0NssM
Harju JK Laagri : Baturins – Jarve, Mashchenko, Kariste – Ivanjusin ( Edur ), Roomussaar, Indi, Rudenko – Eerme ( Jarva ), T.Usta, Reimaa ( Kriis )
JK Tallinna Kalev : Forsman – Palutaja, Pank, Laur, Sotsugov – Sinilaid ( Smirnov ), Kaljumae, Teevali – Mihhailov, Trawally ( Jurisoo ), Kovaltsuk.
