Paide Linnameeskond secured their place in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League after producing an impressive 3-0 home victory over Lithuanian side Hegelmann on Thursday evening, completing a commanding 4-1 aggregate win.
Following a 1-1 draw in the opening leg in Lithuania, the tie remained finely balanced ahead of the return fixture at Pärnu Rannastaadion. Paide, however, quickly took control and delivered a far more convincing performance than their opponents, booking a meeting with Azerbaijani club Zira in the next round.
The Estonian side made the breakthrough in the 18th minute through Modou Pa Sohna. After sending a defender the wrong way with a clever feint near the edge of the penalty area, he unleashed a powerful strike towards the top corner. Hegelmann goalkeeper Rokas Bagdonavičius managed to get his fingertips to the ball, but could not prevent it from finding the net.
Hegelmann attempted to respond and created several openings of their own, including a dangerous header from a corner that Badamosi cleared from the goal line. However, Paide remained the more composed side and doubled their advantage shortly before half-time.
Sohna played a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Badamosi, who drove into the penalty area and finished confidently in the 43rd minute. The goal gave Paide a 2-0 lead on the night and left Hegelmann needing to score twice after the interval simply to force extra time.
Hegelmann enjoyed slightly more attacking momentum during parts of the second half, but struggled to create clear opportunities. Paide goalkeeper Ebrima Jarju was called into action on a few occasions and produced an important save late in the match after a Hegelmann winger broke into the penalty area.
Paide continued to threaten at the other end and were denied a spectacular third when Brazilian midfielder Daniel Cabral struck the post with a curling free-kick from around 30 metres. The rebound, however, fell perfectly for substitute Kristofer Piht, who reacted quickest and scored his first goal in European competition.
With Paide leading 3-0 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate, the closing stages were played at a much calmer tempo. Hegelmann were unable to produce the comeback they required, while the hosts managed the final minutes comfortably and nearly added another goal through Henri Anier.
The result continues Paide’s strong recent record in European qualifying and sends Tarmo Kink’s side into the second round, where they will face Zira. The Azerbaijani club advanced after comfortably eliminating Georgian side Torpedo Kutaisi.
Paide Linnameeskond vs FC Hegelmann – 3-0 (2-0) – 4-1 on aggregate
Goals: Sohna 17′, Badamosi 42′, Piht 69′
