Tartu Tammeka claimed back-to-back Premium Liiga victories for the first time this season as Moussa Sambe marked his debut with the only goal in a hard-fought 1-0 home win over FC Kuressaare in the 24th round. Eighteen-year-old goalkeeper Kristofer Sahtel also impressed with another clean sheet in just his second top-flight appearance.
After a month-and-a-half away from Tartu Tamme Stadium, the hosts returned home in difficult autumn-like conditions, with rain making the surface slippery throughout the evening.
Kuressaare started the brighter of the two sides and almost took an early lead in the seventh minute. Andreas produced a clever backheel effort that struck the post before bouncing safely away from goal, with Sahtel fortunate not to see the rebound ricochet in off his back.
Despite struggling to create chances during the opening stages, Tammeka found the breakthrough in the 17th minute. A long ball was played towards Brazilian forward Kauan Pereira, who cleverly allowed it to run into the path of debutant Moussa Sambe. The Senegalese striker who is on loan from Levadia needed just one touch to fire a low finish into the bottom corner and score with his first goal in Premium Liiga.
The goal transformed the home side. Moments later Sambe forced a save from Karl-Romet Nõmm, while centre-back Oliver Kangaslahti also came close to doubling the advantage, only to be denied from close range by the Kuressaare goalkeeper.
Kuressaare gradually regained some control before the break and continued to threaten after half-time, although clear-cut opportunities remained scarce. Andreas and Roland Lukas both tried their luck from distance, but Tammeka’s defence stood firm.
The visitors’ best chance to equalise arrived just after the hour mark. Taavi Jürisoo found himself through on goal, but Sahtel reacted brilliantly with a crucial leg save before the loose ball rolled narrowly wide of the post.
Sahtel was called into action again late on, confidently dealing with a series of crosses and long-range efforts as Kuressaare increased the pressure in the closing stages. Even goalkeeper Nõmm joined the attack for a stoppage-time corner, but his header drifted harmlessly wide.
Tammeka survived the late pressure to secure a valuable 1-0 victory, with Sambe’s debut goal proving decisive.
The result extends Tammeka’s winning run to two matches and provides another major confidence boost as they are now just four points behind the 4th place Paide Linnameeskond in the table, while FC Kuressaare two-game league win streak comes to an end.
Tammeka next league match is on 26th of August when they will host Flora Tallinn, while Kuressaare next Saturday will host Vaprus.
Tartu JK Tammeka vs FC Kuressaare – 1-0 (1-0)
Goal: Sambe 17′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  FCI Levadia |
23 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 61 | 18 | 43 | 56 |
| 2 |  Nõmme Kalju |
24 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 43 | 19 | 24 | 44 |
| 3 |  FC Flora |
21 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 42 | 24 | 18 | 39 |
| 4 |  Paide |
22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 34 | 29 | 5 | 36 |
| 5 |  Tammeka |
21 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 24 | 31 | -7 | 32 |
| 6 |  Harju |
24 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 34 | 40 | -6 | 28 |
| 7 |  Pärnu Vaprus |
22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 30 | 42 | -12 | 27 |
| 8 |  Nõmme United |
23 | 8 | 1 | 14 | 40 | 54 | -14 | 25 |
| 9 |  Kuressaare |
24 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 25 | 39 | -14 | 24 |
| 10 |  Narva Trans |
24 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 18 | 55 | -37 | 17 |
