Paide Linnameeskond recovered from a first-half setback to defeat Nõmme United 4-1 on Sunday, with summer signing Kristofer Käit marking his debut with a goal before substitute Henri Anier struck twice to seal victory in the Premium Liiga.
Paide head coach Toni Korkeakunnas handed a first start to new arrival Kristofer Käit after the defender’s paperwork prevented him from featuring last weekend. Aleksandr Šurõgin also made his first Premium Liiga start for the club, while new signings Dawda Darboe and Juan Palacios were named among the substitutes.
The hosts dominated possession from the opening whistle and nearly broke the deadlock inside five minutes when Momodou Jobarteh narrowly failed to connect with a dangerous low cross from Daniel Luts.
United goalkeeper Gregor Pürg was called into action repeatedly as Paide piled on the pressure, denying Mohammed Badamosi before Sohna fired over from a promising position.
Paide’s pressure was finally rewarded in the 27th minute. Käit drove forward from the right and unleashed a low effort that took a decisive deflection off United defender Oostenbrink, wrong-footing Pürg and finding the bottom corner for 1-0.
The lead lasted only three minutes. A cross from the right caused confusion inside the Paide penalty area, with Käit initially making an important block before the loose ball fell kindly for Oostenbrink, who rifled a first-time finish into the corner to level the score at 1-1.
The second half began perfectly for Paide. Just four minutes after the restart, United attempted to play out from the back but Kevin Mätas’ heavy touch allowed Jobarteh to intercept. The Gambian quickly fed Badamosi, who calmly slotted a low finish into the bottom corner to restore the hosts’ advantage.
United still threatened on the counter-attack and twice squandered excellent one-on-one opportunities, only for Paide goalkeeper Ebrima Jarju to produce two outstanding saves to preserve the lead.
Those missed chances proved costly. Henri Anier came off the bench midway through the second half and needed only a few minutes to make his impact. In the 75th minute, he dispossessed Chanda inside the penalty area before squeezing his finish through Pürg’s legs to make it 3-1.
Three minutes later, the experienced Estonian striker struck again. Sohna shielded the ball brilliantly before laying it into Anier’s path, and the forward hammered an unstoppable finish into the roof of the net to put the result beyond doubt.
United’s difficult afternoon became even worse late on when 16-year-old Ivan Krasnov received a second yellow card, forcing the visitors to finish the match with ten men.
The victory keeps Paide firmly in the hunt near the top of the Premium Liiga standings currently sitting 4th with 39 points after 23 games, while Nõmme United remain searching for points after getting the fourth straight league defeat.
Paide Linnameeskond vs Nõmme United 4-1 (1-1)
Goals: Käit 27′, Badamosi 49′, Anier 75′ 77′ | Oostenbrink 30′
| # | 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 |
22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 44 | 24 | 20 | 42 |
| 4 |  Paide |
23 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 38 | 30 | 8 | 39 |
| 5 |  Tammeka |
21 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 24 | 31 | -7 | 32 |
| 6 |  Harju |
24 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 34 | 40 | -6 | 28 |
| 7 |  Pärnu Vaprus |
23 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 30 | 44 | -14 | 27 |
| 8 |  Nõmme United |
24 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 41 | 58 | -17 | 25 |
| 9 |  Kuressaare |
24 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 25 | 39 | -14 | 24 |
| 10 |  Narva Trans |
24 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 18 | 55 | -37 | 17 |
