Estonia successfully defended the Baltic Cup on Tuesday evening, defeating Lithuania 1-0 in Tallinn to lift the trophy for the second consecutive tournament and the third time in the last four editions.
For head coach Jürgen Henn the most satisfying aspect of the victory was not the result itself but the character and commitment shown by his players throughout the tournament.
“I think this was a match where the victory meant more,” Henn said after the final whistle. “There was passion and emotion, maybe even too much at times. We wanted to win two years ago as well, but this game was more physical and more of a battle. The fast and wet pitch contributed to that. This definitely felt more like a final.”
Having also guided Estonia to Baltic Cup success in 2024, Henn became the first Estonia national team coach to successfully defend the title.
While the result provided another trophy, the coach felt the performances throughout the camp were equally valuable ahead of September’s UEFA Nations League campaign.
“It helps both emotionally and from a football perspective,” Henn said. “We had certain football objectives we wanted to achieve during this camp and we accomplished many of them. Especially after a game like this, the result can sometimes be misleading. Even if we had lost today, I would still have seen a lot of positive things. This time it is nice to take the result as well.”
Estonia approached the tournament with a more direct style than in previous camps, placing greater emphasis on pressing high and attacking quickly rather than building patiently from the back.
“We wanted to play more aggressively, press higher and not allow opponents to play out comfortably,” Henn explained. “We did not place a huge emphasis on building from our own goal. The direction was more towards playing forward and attacking the opposition goal. The bigger objective of this camp was to show character and the desire to play together.”
That mentality was evident throughout the tournament. Estonia defeated the Faroe Islands 1-0 in the semi-final before overcoming Lithuania by the same scoreline in the final, keeping consecutive clean sheets despite several notable absences. “Primarily it was our team spirit and character,” Henn said. “We kept two clean sheets and fought hard.”
The winning goal came from Mustmaa, who had only joined the senior squad the day before the final after featuring for Estonia’s Under-21 side. The striker had scored twice against Lithuania for the U21 team only days earlier and immediately carried that form into the senior setup.
Henn admitted he had a feeling the young forward could make an impact. “I watched the Under-21 match and spoke with the coaches,” he explained. “Karel came here, trained for one day and we spoke about how a young player should approach representing the U21 national team. My feeling was that the goal was somewhere inside him.”
The Estonia coach used Mustmaa’s promotion as an example of why representing the Under-21 national team remains an important part of the development pathway.
“I see representing the U21 national team as an honour, just like representing the senior team,” Henn said. “Germany came here a couple of years ago with players who were already close to their senior team. Nick Woltemade played six U21 matches that year and then moved towards the Premier League level. If players of that calibre don’t think it is beneath them, then neither should ours.”
The victory also highlighted Estonia’s squad depth. Injuries ruled out several experienced players during the tournament, while attackers Mark Anders Lepik and Rauno Sappinen both missed the final. Yet the replacements stepped up when needed.
“Keeping players involved around the national team is important because when someone is unavailable, we immediately know who can step in,” Henn said. “This camp showed that the next group of players can compete at this level. It was very healthy and very welcome for us.”
Among those who particularly impressed the coaching staff were the younger members of the squad. Tony Varjund scored the winning goal in the semi-final against the Faroe Islands, while defender Mihhail Kolobov earned praise for a mature performance in the final.
“A lot of players showed great character,” Henn said. “Some even showed that their mentality is stronger than people might think from the outside. Sometimes you can achieve more through character than through pure skill or attractive football. Tony Varjund had a very good camp and Mihhail Kolobov played very maturely today.”
The final itself reflected the importance of the occasion. Played in front of a strong crowd in Tallinn, the match was fiercely contested and produced 14 yellow cards, with Lithuania receiving ten of them. Despite the intensity, Henn never felt his players lost control.
“Both teams desperately wanted to win, that was obvious,” he said. “It may have looked like we were playing on the edge, but I never felt anyone was losing their head. In matches like this there can always be some poor decisions, but I never felt we crossed the line.”
With the trophy secured once again, Estonia now turn their attention towards the Nations League later this year. Yet for Henn, retaining the Baltic Cup remains a significant achievement.
“Traditions matter,” he said. “I know the Baltic Cup is important for the supporters, so it is important for us too. Sometimes these matches serve different purposes for different coaches, but for me it is important to play for victory regardless of the squad.”
Source: https://soccernet.ee/artikkel/henn-rohutas-u21-koondise-esindamise-olulisust-ning-toi-valja-kaks-mangijat-kelle-aktsiad-tousid
Henn: “This camp showed that the next group of players can compete at this level”
