Nõmme Kalju head coach Nikita Andrejev praised his defence after his side secured a 1-0 derby win against Flora in the Premium liiga.
Kalju took all three points through a ninth-minute own goal, when Andreas Vaher turned a careless back-pass into his own net. It followed Kalju’s victory over Flora in the Estonian Super Cup, and Andrejev said the result mattered more than the manner of it.
“Maybe our performance was not our best,” Andrejev told Soccernet.ee. “In the first half there was a strong wind and the players had to adapt to it. But these were three very important points and an important win. It does not matter how we got it.”
Andrejev singled out his back line after Kalju recorded a second straight clean sheet to begin the season. He said improvements had already been made after the previous round, particularly in how the defenders contributed in possession and in the press.
“We were disciplined and I think our defence brought us this win,” he said. “After the last game we spoke about the things we wanted to improve. This time many things worked much better. If the defenders were a little passive last time, then now they were much more aggressive with the ball and in pressing. For me, this win belonged to our defence.”
Andrejev was not concerned that Kalju’s only goal came via an own goal, saying his side still created enough chances to score themselves. He added that the forwards and midfielders had worked well and would have time over the course of the season to show their quality in front of goal.
The match also brought a Kalju debut for midfielder Bogdan Vaštšuk, with Andrejev saying the Estonia international was handed responsibility straight away in a difficult fixture and had already shown why the club wanted to sign him. Kalju host Kuressaare before the international break, and Andrejev said vice-captain Maksim Podholjuzin should be fit after a minor injury suffered in training.
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Source: https://soccernet.ee/artikkel/flora-vastu-kalju-teise-uks-nulli-korjanud-andrejev-see-oli-voit-meie-kaitseliinile
