Flora Tallinn continued their pursuit to the league leaders Levadia with a hard-fought 1-0 home victory over Harju JK Laagri on Sunday, despite fielding a heavily rotated lineup between their UEFA Conference League fixtures.
Head coach Konstantin Vassiljev made wholesale changes following Thursday’s European match in Wales, with only three players from that starting XI retaining their places. The rotation also handed Premium Liiga debuts to several young academy players.
The first half produced few clear-cut opportunities as both sides struggled to create meaningful chances. Harju threatened through several dangerous deliveries into the penalty area, while Flora came closest when Robert Veering forced Jan Vainula into an early save. Neither goalkeeper was seriously tested again before the interval as the teams went into the break level at 0-0.
Flora increased the pressure after half-time and introduced experienced players, including Rauno Sappinen, to try and break the deadlock. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 71st minute when Sappinen found Maksim Kalimullin inside the box. The young forward showed great composure, beating his defender before firing an unstoppable shot into the top corner to score the only goal of the match.
Harju pushed for an equaliser during the closing stages and came closest when Ramol Sillamaa found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Evert Grünvald, but he dragged his effort wide of the target. Flora also threatened to add a second late on, with Sappinen and youngster Joosep Palts both going close, but the score remained unchanged.
The victory sees Flora reduce the gap to league leaders Levadia, while Harju were left empty-handed. Now Flora turn their attention to Europe as they travel to Andorra to play on Thursday against Inter d’ Escaldes in the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round first leg game.
Flora Tallinn vs Harju JK Laagri – 1-0 (0-0)
Goal: Kalimullin 71′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  FCI Levadia |
20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 50 | 17 | 33 | 47 |
| 2 |  FC Flora |
20 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 40 | 21 | 19 | 39 |
| 3 |  Nõmme Kalju |
21 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 38 | 17 | 21 | 38 |
| 4 |  Paide |
21 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 33 | 28 | 5 | 35 |
| 5 |  Pärnu Vaprus |
21 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 29 | 39 | -10 | 27 |
| 6 |  Tammeka |
19 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 22 | 31 | -9 | 26 |
| 7 |  Harju |
21 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 30 | 35 | -5 | 25 |
| 8 |  Nõmme United |
21 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 40 | 48 | -8 | 25 |
| 9 |  Kuressaare |
21 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 19 | 34 | -15 | 18 |
| 10 |  Narva Trans |
21 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 17 | 48 | -31 | 16 |
