Nõmme Kalju suffered a surprising 1-2 home defeat to Tartu JK Tammeka in Premium Liiga Matchday 16 after finishing the match with nine men and conceding a dramatic stoppage-time winner.
The opening stages at Hiiu Stadium were quiet, but the match burst into life midway through the first half. Kalju took the lead in the 23rd minute when Esono Eyang raced onto a ball behind the Tammeka defence, beat Mait Vaino in the sprint and calmly poked the ball through goalkeeper Kristen Lapa’s legs to make it 1-0.
The hosts had a major chance to double their advantage only minutes later. Esono was sent through one-on-one after a long pass from goalkeeper Henri Perk, but Lapa produced an excellent save to keep Tammeka in the match.
That stop proved important, as Tammeka equalised in the 28th minute. Chilem Ignatius delivered a low ball into the danger area, and the cross deflected off Aleksandr Nikolajev into the Kalju net for an own goal, bringing the visitors level at 1-1.
Both teams had chances before half-time. Kauan Pereira came close for Tammeka, sending a low shot narrowly wide of the far post, while Kalju tested Lapa through Ivanov. Tammeka briefly appeared to be reduced to ten men when Pereira was shown a red card for catching Bogdan Vaštšuk with an elbow in an aerial duel, but after a VAR review the decision was downgraded to a yellow card.
The second half began with Kalju seeing more of the ball, but Tammeka became more dangerous after making changes. Tristan Koskor almost scored a milestone 100 Premium Liiga goal after coming off the bench, but Perk denied him from close range.
Tammeka continued to grow into the match and created another huge chance in the 84th minute. Pavel Marin played Koskor through, but Perk saved the first effort and Kalju managed to scramble the rebound away on the goal line.
The match turned against Kalju in the 89th minute. Experienced centre-back Maksim Podholjuzin lost a duel with Koskor and pulled the striker down as the last defender. The referee initially showed a yellow card, but after a VAR review the decision was changed to red.
Deep into stoppage time, Kalju were reduced to nine men when Danylo Mashchenko brought down Marin in the box. Tammeka were awarded a penalty in the 96th minute, but Pedro Manoel’s poor spot-kick was saved by Perk.
However, Manoel made amends almost immediately. One minute after missing the penalty, he found the net in the 97th minute to complete Tammeka’s comeback and hand the visitors a dramatic 2-1 victory.
The win was Tammeka’s first against Kalju in three years, while Kalju were left to reflect on a chaotic collapse that saw them finish with nine men and lose the match in the final seconds.
Nõmme Kalju vs Tartu JK Tammeka – 1-2 (1-1)
Goals: Eyang 23′ | Nikolajev 28′ (Own goal), Pedro Manuel 90+8′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  FCI Levadia |
16 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 12 | 32 | 42 |
| 2 |  FC Flora |
15 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 32 | 16 | 16 | 30 |
| 3 |  Nõmme Kalju |
16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 28 | 13 | 15 | 29 |
| 4 |  Paide |
16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 20 | 4 | 25 |
| 5 |  Tammeka |
15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 20 | -3 | 20 |
| 6 |  Pärnu Vaprus |
16 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 20 | 31 | -11 | 20 |
| 7 |  Harju |
16 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 20 | 27 | -7 | 19 |
| 8 |  Kuressaare |
16 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 17 | 26 | -9 | 17 |
| 9 |  Nõmme United |
16 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 30 | 39 | -9 | 16 |
| 10 |  Narva Trans |
16 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 11 | 39 | -28 | 10 |
