After six long years without silverware, Nõmme Kalju finally put an end to their trophy drought by defeating FCI Levadia in a dramatic Evald Tipner Cup final that ended 3-3 after extra time and was decided by a penalty shootout.
Levadia came into the match as favorites and struck first. Midfielder Mihkel Ainsalu opened the scoring with a beautifully taken free-kick into the top corner, giving Levadia the lead. They maintained control throughout the first half and doubled their advantage less than a minute into the second, as Joao Pedro confidently converted a penalty following a foul on Michael Schjonning-Larsen.
Kalju responded with growing intensity. After a series of chances, they pulled one back in the 70th minute when a goalmouth scramble ended with the ball pushed just over the line — confirmed by the assistant referee despite protests from Levadia goalkeeper Oliver Ani. Soon after, Jabir equalized with a well-timed finish, celebrating directly with head coach Nikita Andrejev.
Moments later, Kalju was awarded a penalty after Iboro was brought down in the box. Ivanov converted to make it 3-2 in favor of Kalju. But the drama didn’t end there. Levadia made it 3-3 after a set-piece saw Lepistu bundle the ball in, helped by a mistake from Kalju keeper Pavlov.
After 10 minutes of added time, the match moved into extra time. Both sides had chances — Musaba nearly scored for Levadia, but veteran defender Podholjuzin made a vital block, and Kalju’s Pavlov denied Gero with a brave intervention. VAR briefly reviewed a red card incident, but play resumed with both sides still level.
With the score tied 3-3 after 120 minutes and no breakthrough in extra time, the match was decided by penalties — the first time the Estonian Cup final had gone to a shootout since 2009.
In the shootout, Kalju’s Tarassenkov, Orlov, and Siht all converted their penalties with confidence. Levadia managed just one successful attempt through Ainsalu, while both Tur and Zakarljuka were denied. Tambedou stepped up and calmly slotted home the decisive penalty to secure the victory for Kalju.
Final score in the shootout: 4-1.
Nõmme Kalju claimed their second Estonian Cup title — their first since the 2014–15 season. A long-awaited celebration for Kalju and their fans is finally here.
FCI Levadia vs Nõmme Kalju FC – 3:3 (1:4 after Penalty kicks)
Goals: Ainsalu 17′, Pedro 48′ (Penalty kick), Lepistu 89′ | Kask 72′, Jabir 80′, Ivanov 86′
LEV: Ani, Liivak (Musaba 83′), Peetson (Lepistu 60′), Alexandre (Mavretic 90+2′), Iboro, Larsen, Roosnupp (Zakarlyuka 102′), Ainsalu, Pedro, Otoo (Tur 83′), Tambedou (Gero 60′)
NOM: Pavlov, Mashchenko (Korre 90+7′), Podholjuzin (Liit 106′), Tambedou, Nikolajev (Tarassenkov 55′), Musolitin, Siht, Ivanov, Kask (Orlov 91′), Smith, Patrikejevs (Jabir 55′)
