Estonian side Nõmme Kalju suffered a narrow 0–1 defeat away to Irish club St Patrick’s Athletic in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round – a match that spiraled into chaos as Kalju finished with just nine men on the pitch.
The opening half saw St Patrick’s control much of the play, registering seven shots, though few seriously tested Kalju goalkeeper Maksim Pavlov. The visitors offered little going forward, failing to register a single attempt before halftime.
Kalju’s situation worsened dramatically in the second half. In the 55th minute, Rommi Siht was shown a second yellow card for halting a counterattack deep in the opponents’ half. Just nine minutes later, Danylo Mashchenko also received his marching orders — a second yellow following a foul near his own penalty area – reducing Kalju to nine men.
Despite the two-man disadvantage, Kalju held firm until the dying moments. Pavlov made several saves to keep his side in the game, but the pressure eventually told. In the 90th minute, substitute Chris Forrester reacted first to a rebound in the box and slotted home from close range, giving St Patrick’s the decisive goal.
The final shot count painted a clear picture: St Patrick’s registered 38 attempts (10 on target), while Kalju managed only two efforts in total — neither of which troubled the Irish keeper.
Kalju now return to Tallinn trailing 0–1, with the second leg set to take place on July 31st at A. Le Coq Arena.
St. Patricks Athletic vs Nomme Kalju FC – 1:0 (0:0)
Goals: Forrester 90’
STP: Anang, McLaughlin (Keena 70’), Grivosti, Redmond, McClelland, Baggley, Lennon (Forrester 79’), Leavy (Kavanagh 79’), Elbouzedi (Mulraney 24’), Melia (Carty 79’), Power
NOM: Pavlov, Tarassenkov, Mashchenko, Podholjuzin (Korre 45+6’), Tambedou, Musolitin (Nikolajev 46’), Patrikejevs (Liit 72’), Kask, Siht, Mannilaan, Ivanov (Guilherme Smith 62’)
