After a gritty display in Ireland that saw them finish with nine men and only a narrow defeat, Nõmme Kalju came agonizingly close to progressing to the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. Leading 2-0 at one point in front of 2,866 fans at A. Le Coq Arena, Kalju ultimately drew 2-2 on the night and exited the competition 2-3 on aggregate to St Patrick’s Athletic.
The first half was a tightly contested affair with few chances for either side. Both teams managed three shots, two of which hit the target, and Kalju slightly edged possession. It was the Estonian side who struck first: in the 43rd minute, Kristjan Kask broke down the left flank, picked out Ivans Patrikejevs in the box, and the forward slotted the ball inside the post with his first touch – 1-0 to Kalju, leveling the aggregate score at 1-1.
Buoyed by the goal before halftime, Kalju came out flying after the break. Just four minutes into the second half, Mattias Männilaan rose highest to meet Nikita Ivanov’s cross and powered a header past the goalkeeper – 2-0 on the night, 2-1 on aggregate, and Kalju ahead for the first time in the tie.
With a full-strength squad and playing at home, Kalju looked poised to complete the turnaround. But as the match wore on, St Patrick’s began to push forward with increasing urgency. Goalkeeper Maksim Pavlov made several key saves to preserve the lead, including a crucial stop from Jamie Lennon in the 75th minute after a goal-line clearance by Uku Kõrre.
The Irish side won a flurry of corners and finally broke through in stoppage time. After a short corner routine, Patrikejevs conceded a foul near the box. Pavlov saved Jake Mulraney’s low free kick in the 91st minute, but Joseph Redmond was first to the rebound, stabbing it home – 2-1 to Kalju on the night, but 2-2 on aggregate.
With the score level after 90 minutes, the match went to extra time under heavy rain that turned the pitch soggy and unpredictable. In the 93rd minute, Mulraney curled a stunning shot from outside the box over Pavlov to give St Patrick’s a 3-2 aggregate lead. Kalju now had nearly 30 minutes to find an equalizer.
Despite the deteriorating conditions – with players slipping and the ball repeatedly stalling in puddles – Kalju pushed forward. Their best chance came in the 118th minute when Tiago Baptista’s low free kick was smothered by Joseph Anang.
The match ended 2-2, but St Patrick’s advanced with a 3-2 aggregate win who will now play Turkish side Bešiktas in the UEFA Conference League third qualifyign round.
Nomme Kalju FC vs St. Patricks Athletic – 2:2 (1:0) A.E.T
Goals: Patrikejevs 43′, Mannilaan 49′ | Redmond 90+1′, Mulraney 93′
NOM: Pavlov, Tarassenkov, Korre, Tambedou, Nikolajev, Musolitin (Orlov 112′), Patrikejevs (Batista 106′), Ivanov (Marin 80′), Kask (Eyang 96′), Mannilaan, Guilherme (Jabir 87′)
STP: Anang, McLaughlin, Redmond, Grivosti, McClelland (Breslin 96′), Baggley (Forrester 51′), Lennon, Leavy (Kavanagh 72′), Mulraney (Kazeem 106′), Melia (Keena 46′, Carty 72′), Power
