The Premium Liiga Matchday 2 kicked off with a matchup between Tallinna FC Flora and Parnu JK Vaprus. In a surprising turn of events, Parnu JK Vaprus secured a narrow 1-0 victory, thanks to a stunning free-kick by Henri Välja.
The away team, Parnu, entered this match after suffering a 0-3 defeat to Nomme Kalju FC in their previous game. Meanwhile, Konstantin Vassiljev’s tenure as Flora’s manager began with a disappointing 2-2 draw against JK Narva Trans.
Vassiljev made three changes to Flora’s starting lineup compared to their last game, including 17-year-old Sander Alamaa, who made his first career start in the Premium Liiga. On the other hand, Parnu made only one change from their previous match against Nomme Kalju, bringing in Markkus Seppik to replace Marko Lipp.
The match started with Flora putting pressure on their opponents, with Rauno Sappinen hitting the crossbar with a header early on. However, Vaprus found the back of the net in the 15th minute. Joosep Põder earned a free-kick near the edge of the penalty area, and Henri Välja curled the ball beautifully into the back corner. This goal proved to be the only score of the match. Although Flora intensified their attack in the second half, they were unable to find the equalizer.
This victory marked Vaprus’s second-ever win against Flora in 36 Premium Liiga matches. Their first win against Flora occurred on May 11th of the previous year, also by a score of 1-0.
After the game, Flora’s manager, Konstantin Vassiljev, told soccernet.ee, stating, “We made an unnecessary mistake in the box. The penalty was well taken, but it’s questionable whether he meant it that way. We took control of the game in the second half but missed the decisive shot. Of course, Parnu defended bravely and won. The result could have been better if we had played for 90 minutes at the same pace as in the second half. We found the right shots, but the ball just didn’t go in, and the performance left something to be desired. There’s a lot of room for improvement.”
Flora has now gathered only one point from the first two games of the season, having salvaged a draw against Narva Trans late in their opening round. When asked if this outcome worries him, Vassiljev replied, “I would definitely like to win, but there are many more important things than just the result. Our game needs improvement in every aspect. There is potential, but the question is how to realize it. We have learned from the first few games that we can’t expect to outplay anyone by just going through the motions; we need to be ready to work hard from start to finish.”
Flora’s next match is scheduled for next Saturday when they will face JK Tallinna Kalev away from home. Meanwhile, Parnu will host the champions, FCI Levadia, on the same day.
Tallinna FC Flora vs Parnu JK Vaprus – 0:1 (0:1)
Goals: Välja 15′
Yellow Card: Hussar 79′ | Välja 17′
FLO: Grunvalds – Hussar, Lukka (Tougjas 80′), Kolobov, Veering (Kalimullin 80′), Tovstik – Alliku, Poom, Teevali (Kuraksin 46′), Alamaa (Kaares 59′) – Sappinen
VAP: Nomm – Mag. Villota, Seppik, Aloe – Sild (Lipp 90+1′), Limberg, Valja (Aer 85′), Mat. Villota, Kapper (Veensalu 85′) – Poder (Madissoo 71′) – Paalberg (Vallik 71′)
Referee: Tanel Üprus
Source: https://soccernet.ee/artikkel/vassiljev-tulemused-tulemusteks-aga-jalutades-me-kedagi-ule-ei-mangi
| # | Club | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
| 1 | FCI Levadia | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 19 |
| 2 | Paide | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 18 |
| 3 | FC Flora | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 14 |
| 4 | Narva Trans | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| 5 | Nõmme Kalju | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 6 | Pärnu Vaprus | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| 7 | Harju JK | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -9 | 7 |
| 8 | Tammeka Tartu | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -8 | 4 |
| 9 | Tallinna Kalev | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | -10 | 4 |
| 10 | FC Kuressaare | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | -11 | 3 |