Paide do the double over Flora in back-to-back battles

For the second time in just six days, Paide Linnameeskond and FC Flora clashed in the Estonian Premium Liiga—and once again, it was the Järva county side that came out on top. A hard-fought 2–1 victory in front of the home fans followed their identical win last weekend in Tallinn, making it two wins in a week over the reigning giants.

The two sides last met just six days ago at A. Le Coq Arena, where Paide stunned Flora 2–1 with goals from Martin Miller and Robi Saarma, while Sergei Zenjov was the lone scorer for Flora. Their first league meeting of the season, back in mid-April at Sportland Arena, ended in a 1–0 win for Flora thanks to a Rauno Sappinen goal.

Both clubs came into the match riding the momentum of recent wins—Paide had edged out Pärnu Vaprus 2–1, while Flora had taken down Narva Trans by the same scoreline.

Paide’s starting lineup came with a notable twist. Under head coach Vladimir Vassiljev, Ebrima Jarju making his first start between the posts in over a month, replacing Marko Meerits on the bench.

Flora, meanwhile, were without Rauno Alliku and Sergei Zenjov, the latter sidelined after picking up a knock in the last game. As a result, midfielder Nikita Mihhailov shifted out wide, with Maksim Kalimullin filling the central role.

As the things got underway in Paide, the home side nearly struck early. A clever diagonal ball from Luts teed up Saarma, whose curling shot narrowly missed the far top corner.

Flora responded with a few efforts of their own. Kuraksin tried his luck from distance, leading to a corner, but the best chance fell in the 31st minute—Kuraksin again, this time with a free header from six yards, but it was straight at Jarju.

At halftime, it remained goalless. Flora had more of the ball, but both sides created just one real opportunity. A 0–0 scoreline fairly reflected the balance.

Just a few seconds into the second half, Sappinen found space in the box, but Paide’s defense recovered quickly. In the 48th minute, Paide earned their first corner of the match, and though Saarma’s delivery was threatening, as it was cleared by Teeväli.

Then came the breakthrough. Robi Saarma fired a shot from a tight angle that Grünvald could only parry. The rebound fell to Henrik Ojamaa, who calmly slotted home through a crowd of defenders to put Paide ahead.

Moments later, disaster struck for Flora. Defender Tovstik chopped down Ojamaa and picked up a second yellow—Flora were down to ten men. It was a rash and unnecessary challenge, and Ojamaa had now played a decisive role in both the goal and the sending off.

Then came the killer blow. In the 67th minute, Saarma—who had threatened all night—finally got his reward. Cutting inside from the left, he picked out the far post with precision to double Paide’s lead. The assist came from Reinkort, and Saarma’s goal all but sealed it.

Flora did get a lifeline after a VAR check awarded them a penalty. Kalmõkov’s cross struck Lilander’s hand, and Tõugjas stepped up, smashing it high and right past Jarju to make it 2–1.

With seven minutes of added time, Flora threw everything forward. Paide, however, held firm. Despite the pressure, they saw out the match with relative comfort and secured a statement win in front of their fans.

After this win Paide move closer to the top three – now just two points behind the third place Nomme Kalju FC and three points from their today’s opponents FC Flora Tallinn.

Paide Linnameeskond vs FC Flora Tallinn – 2:1 (0:0)
Goals: He.Ojamaa 50′, Saarma 68′ | Tougjas 84′ (Penalty kick)
PAI: Jarju, Gueye (Lilander 73′), Delevic, Baranov, Saliste, Miller, Gilmore (Hoim 71′), D.Luts, He.Ojamaa, Saarma (Gomis 87′), Reinkort (Corr 71′)
FLO: Grunvald, Hussar, Kolobov, Tougjas, Tovstik, Poom (Kalmokov 76′), Teevali (Veering 76′), Kalimullin (Lukka 53′), Mihhailov, Kuraksin (Kaares 60′), Sappinen

Premium Liiga Matchday 20 games:

• 21.06.2025 – FCI Levadia vs Nomme Kalju FC – 3:1
• 21.06.2025 – Paide Linnameeskond vs FC Flora Tallinn – 2:1
• 11.07.2025 – FC Kuressaare vs Tartu JK Tammeka – 19:00
• 12.07.2025 – Parnu JK Vaprus vs JK Narva Trans – 14:30
• 13.07.2025 – JK Tallinna Kalev vs Harju JK Laagri – 14:30