The Estonian title race took another dramatic twist on Sunday evening as Flora came from behind to defeat rivals Levadia 2-1 in the Tallinn derby, with substitute Taaniel Usta heading home a dramatic winner in the final minute of stoppage time. The result handed Levadia their first defeat of the Premium Liiga season and cut the gap between the two sides to ten points, with Flora still holding a game in hand.
Played in difficult conditions at A. Le Coq Arena under heavy rain and thunderstorms, the opening stages belonged largely to Levadia. They threatened early through Bubacarr Tambedou, who was twice sent clear by long passes from the back, but Flora goalkeeper Evert Grünvald stood firm to deny the league leaders.
Flora gradually settled into the contest and produced their own dangerous moments. Sergei Zenjov squandered a golden opportunity from close range after excellent work by Sander Alamaa, while Rauno Sappinen looked destined to score only for Victory Iboro to produce a magnificent goal-line block.
Levadia eventually found the breakthrough in the 24th minute. Skvortsov released Brazilian winger Wendell down the right, and after cutting inside his marker he fired a low effort that somehow squeezed through Grünvald at the near post to put the league leaders ahead. This was Wendell’s 10th goal of the season.
The goal gave Levadia greater control of possession, but Flora remained dangerous on the counter-attack and entered the break trailing by only a single goal despite the home side enjoying the majority of the ball.
Flora emerged from the dressing room with far greater intensity. Alamaa became increasingly influential, first forcing Karl Vallner into a fine save before sending several other efforts narrowly off target. Levadia still carried a threat themselves, with Tambedou wasting a one-on-one opportunity after being released by a long pass and later Ghanaian forward Otoo crashing a powerful strike against the post from outside the penalty area.
The momentum, however, had swung firmly towards Flora. Their persistence was rewarded in the 81st minute when Alamaa collected the ball on the left wing, skipped past Iboro with clever footwork, cut inside the penalty area and drilled a precise finish inside the near post beyond Vallner to level the score at 1-1.
Both sides pushed desperately for a winner in an increasingly open finish. Otoo again came close for Levadia after striking the post following a corner, while substitute Kalimullin fired narrowly wide for Flora.
Just when the match appeared destined to end level, Flora delivered the decisive blow deep into stoppage time. Another substitute, Daniil Kuraksin, produced an excellent cross from the right flank, and fellow substitute Taaniel Usta rose highest inside the penalty area to guide a header into the bottom corner in the 93rd minute, completing a remarkable comeback and sparking wild celebrations among the Flora players and supporters.
The victory ends Levadia’s unbeaten league campaign and breathes fresh life into the Estonian title race. Levadia remain top of the Premium Liiga standings, but their advantage over Flora has been reduced to ten points, with Flora still having one match in hand.
FCI Levadia vs Flora Tallinn – 1-2 (1-0)
Goals: Wendell 24′ | Alamaa 81′, Usta 90+3′
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  FCI Levadia |
18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 46 | 15 | 31 | 43 |
| 2 |  FC Flora |
17 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 35 | 19 | 16 | 33 |
| 3 |  Nõmme Kalju |
18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 30 | 15 | 15 | 31 |
| 4 |  Paide |
18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 27 | 22 | 5 | 29 |
| 5 |  Tammeka |
16 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 18 | 20 | -2 | 23 |
| 6 |  Pärnu Vaprus |
17 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 21 | 31 | -10 | 23 |
| 7 |  Nõmme United |
17 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 33 | 40 | -7 | 19 |
| 8 |  Harju |
17 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 21 | 30 | -9 | 19 |
| 9 |  Kuressaare |
17 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 17 | 27 | -10 | 17 |
| 10 |  Narva Trans |
17 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 11 | 40 | -29 | 10 |
