Estonia take the lead again, but fall once more to Israel

Estonia suffered a defeat tonight in the World Cup qualification, falling 1–3 to Israel at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn. Despite taking an early lead and showing moments of promise, familiar defensive errors and a sharp Israeli response meant the home side walked away empty-handed once again.

Heading into the match, both teams sat on three points after two games. Estonia came off a 3–2 win over Moldova, while Israel had just lost 2–4 to Norway. History was also not in Estonia’s favor, with four previous losses to Israel—three of those in qualifiers. This time, Estonia looked determined to change that narrative.

The evening began with a heartfelt tribute as centurions Karol Mets and Henri Anier were honored for reaching 100 international caps in the previous international window. With Mets unavailable for this match—alongside Joonas Tamm, Rasmus Peetson, and Rauno Sappinen—Karl Jakob Hein took the armband.

Estonia drew first blood in the 31st minute. A moment of brilliance from Michael Schjönning-Larsen on the right flank created space and a clean cross that found Mattias Käit, who calmly slotted home into the far corner. 1–0, and the home crowd roared.

But the lead was short-lived. Just eight minutes later, Israeli striker Gadi Biton capitalized on a defensive mishap, with Kuusk and Soomets both at fault in a sequence that ended with the ball sneaking past Hein after a deflection through Maksim Paskotši’s legs. The half ended 1–1, a tense deadlock echoing their March encounter.

The second half began disastrously for Estonia. Just four minutes in, Solomon outmuscled Larsen on the wing and delivered a pass into the box that found Biton, again unmarked. Hein guessed the wrong way, and suddenly it was 1–2.

Estonia pressed hard to equalize, with promising chances falling to Tamm and Shein, but Israeli defenders were always a step ahead. In the 90th minute, a controversial penalty call sealed Estonia’s fate. Goalkeeper Hein clipped Dor Peretz in the box, and Mohammad Abu Fani made no mistake from the spot—3–1 Israel.

Estonia pushed for a late consolation. Kristal, making his debut, nearly marked it with a goal in stoppage time, rattling the post with a well-hit strike from just outside the box. But the visitors calmly saw out the remaining moments to secure a deserved win.

Once again, Estonia’s early promise faded under pressure. A spirited first half gave way to a second half dominated by Israeli composure and finishing. With three points from three matches, Estonia still has ground to make up if they want to stay in contention. For now, the wait for a win against Israel continues.

The Estonian men’s national team will play their next World Cup qualifier already on Monday, June 9, when they host Norway at A. Le Coq Arena. The Norwegians today shocked Italy with a 3–0 home victory.

Estonia vs Israel – 1:3 (1:1)
Goals: Kait 31′ | Biton 39′ 49′ Abu Fani 90′ (Penalty Kick)
EST: Hein, Schjonning -Larsen, Paskotši, Kuusk, Saliste (Jepihhin 81′), Soomets (Kristal 55′), Shein, Yakovlev (Saarma 72′), Kait (Ainsalu 81′), Sinjavskij, Tamm (Anier 72′)
ISR: Peretz, Dasa, Nachmias, Shlomo, Solomon (Abada 90′), Revivo, Abu Fani (Yarin 90′), E.Peretz (Jaber 66′), Gloukh, Turgeman (Khalaili 66′), Biton (D.Peretz 72′)