Sohna’s stoppage-time free-kick rescues Paide against Kuressaare

Fresh from their UEFA Conference League triumph over Zira earlier in the week, Paide rotated heavily, making eight changes to the starting lineup. Despite dominating possession throughout the match, the home side struggled to create clear-cut opportunities against a disciplined Kuressaare defence.

Paide controlled around 70 percent of the ball during the opening half, but neither side threatened regularly in what was a cagey encounter. The best opportunities before the break came from set pieces, with Pad Abdou Cham heading narrowly wide and Kuressaare goalkeeper Karl-Romet Nõmm comfortably dealing with the few efforts directed on target.

The pattern of the game remained largely unchanged after the interval. Paide continued to dictate possession but found it difficult to break down the visitors, while Kuressaare looked dangerous on occasional counter-attacks and nearly stole a goal late on.

With the match seemingly heading for a goalless draw, Paide were awarded a free-kick in the third minute of stoppage time. Substitute Modou Pa Sohna stepped up and curled his effort into the net, with the strike taking a slight deflection on its way past Nõmm to hand the hosts a dramatic 1-0 victory.

The late winner secured another important three points for Paide, who continue their push near the top of the Premium Liiga table. Attention now quickly turns to Europe, with the club set to host Austrian side Rapid Wien in the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round.

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	FCI Levadia	29	22	6	1	81	21	60	72
2	FC Flora	29	18	1	10	59	39	20	55
3	Paide	29	15	6	8	48	36	12	51
4	Nõmme Kalju	29	15	5	9	52	27	25	50
5	Tammeka	29	14	2	13	37	47	-10	44
6	Harju	29	11	2	16	40	47	-7	35
7	Pärnu Vaprus	29	10	4	15	39	57	-18	34
8	Kuressaare	29	8	5	16	31	49	-18	29
9	Nõmme United	29	9	1	19	47	68	-21	28
10	Narva Trans	29	5	4	20	22	65	-43	19