Paide Linnameeskond produced a dramatic late comeback at Lilleküla on Sunday, scoring twice in the final minutes to beat FC Flora 2-1 and strengthen their position in the fight for the top places in the Premium Liiga.
The opening half was goalless, although Paide created the clearer opportunities. Henri Anier fired narrowly wide after good work from Henrik Ojamaa, while Momodou Jobarteh was a constant threat from the left. The winger twice managed to get into dangerous positions, with his efforts either missing the target or being comfortably saved by Flora goalkeeper Evert Grunvald.
Paide came particularly close in the 43rd minute when Anier’s effort was blocked inside the box before Grunvald reacted quickly to deny Momodou Jobarteh on the follow-up.
Flora, meanwhile, struggled to create clear-cut chances but found the breakthrough just four minutes into the second half. Sergei Zenjov broke into the box from the right and cut the ball back into the danger area, where 18-year-old Sander Alamaa arrived and fired the ball into the roof of the net to put Flora 1-0 ahead.
Paide responded by increasing the pressure and eventually made a series of attacking substitutions. Abdourahman Badamosi, Modou Sohna and Siim Luts were all introduced, and the changes eventually paid off.
In the 86th minute, Sohna’s corner found Dawda Darboe, who was left completely unmarked around five metres from goal and headed past Grunvald to level the score at 1-1.
Paide then pushed for the winner, while Flora were increasingly pinned back and the decisive moment arrived in the 90th minute. Sohna again delivered the ball into the penalty area, where Siim Luts laid it off towards Martin Miller on the edge of the box. Miller needed only one touch before calmly firing into the bottom corner to complete the turnaround.
Flora had a late chance to respond when Valdmets struck the post from Zotov’s corner, but Paide held on through four minutes of stoppage time to secure all three points.
Thanks to this win Paide Linnameeskond catches Flora in the league table with both teams having 42 points after 24 games played. This was Flora’s fifth defeat in their last six games and will look to turn their form around on Wednesday when they will host Tammeka, while Paide on Saturday will host Levadia.
Flora Tallinn vs Paide Linnamesskond – 1-2 (0-0)
Goals: Alamaa 47′ | Darboe 86′, Miller 90′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  FCI Levadia |
24 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 64 | 20 | 44 | 59 |
| 2 |  Nõmme Kalju |
25 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 45 | 22 | 23 | 44 |
| 3 |  FC Flora |
24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 46 | 30 | 16 | 42 |
| 4 |  Paide |
24 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 40 | 31 | 9 | 42 |
| 5 |  Tammeka |
23 | 12 | 2 | 9 | 29 | 32 | -3 | 38 |
| 6 |  Harju |
25 | 10 | 1 | 14 | 36 | 41 | -5 | 31 |
| 7 |  Pärnu Vaprus |
24 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 33 | 46 | -13 | 28 |
| 8 |  Kuressaare |
25 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 27 | 41 | -14 | 25 |
| 9 |  Nõmme United |
25 | 8 | 1 | 16 | 42 | 60 | -18 | 25 |
| 10 |  Narva Trans |
25 | 5 | 2 | 18 | 18 | 57 | -39 | 17 |
