Nõmme United celebrated their first-ever victory in the Nõmme derby as new head coach Eric Wynalda began his tenure with an impressive 2-1 win over Nõmme Kalju at Hiiu Stadium. The result extended Kalju’s miserable run to five consecutive defeats in all competitions.
Wynalda made several changes for his first match in charge, bringing Mathias Palts, Adyn Torres and Henri Järvelaid into the starting XI. Kalju also opted for a more attacking setup, with Oleksandr Musolitin and Tiago Baptista replacing Maksim Podholjuzin and Daniil Sõtšugov.
The match immediately developed into an unusually open contest. Enrique Esono twice tested United goalkeeper Gregor Pürg inside the opening five minutes, while Zakaria Beglarishvili was equally active at the other end. Both teams continued to exchange attempts, with neither showing much interest in slowing the game down.
United struck first in the 19th minute. Järvelaid’s corner eventually fell to Beglarishvili around 12 metres from goal, and although his effort was directed towards Henri Perk, the ball slipped over the goalkeeper’s gloves and into the net.
The visitors doubled their advantage ten minutes later after punishing Kalju for an error in their build-up. Beglarishvili played an excellent pass behind the defensive line and Adyn Torres finished the move to score on his first start for United.
Kalju had plenty of opportunities to respond before half-time. Nikita Ivanov saw a powerful effort slip through Pürg’s hands before the goalkeeper recovered just in time to stop it crossing the line, while Esono forced another strong save. At the opposite end, United could have made it 3-0 when Beglarishvili sent Krasnov through one-on-one, but the winger fired over.
Kalju took greater control after half-time as United adopted a more cautious approach. The hosts pushed the visitors increasingly deeper, but Pürg continued to stand firm, including an important double save following an Ivanov free-kick.
The breakthrough finally came late in the match while United were temporarily down to ten men because Torres had left the pitch with a bleeding injury. Esono found Nikitaa Ivanov in space inside the penalty area and the midfielder fired home to reduce the deficit to 1-2.
Kalju threw everything forward in the closing stages, even sending goalkeeper Perk into the opposition penalty area for a corner. Esono had one final opportunity from close range in stoppage time but sent his effort over the crossbar.
United survived the late pressure to secure a landmark 2-1 victory, their first triumph over Kalju in seven Nõmme derbies. For Wynalda, it was a perfect beginning to his spell in charge. For Kalju, the defeat deepened their crisis with a fifth successive loss across all competitions.
Nõmme Kalju vs Nõmme United – 1-2 (0-2)
Goals: Ivanov 76′ | Beglarashvili 19′, Torres 30′
Next matches:
Kalju (h) Narva Trans – September 12
United (h) Flora Tallinn – September 12
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  FCI Levadia |
25 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 66 | 20 | 46 | 62 |
| 2 |  FC Flora |
27 | 16 | 1 | 10 | 53 | 35 | 18 | 49 |
| 3 |  Nõmme Kalju |
27 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 47 | 26 | 21 | 44 |
| 4 |  Paide |
25 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 40 | 33 | 7 | 42 |
| 5 |  Tammeka |
25 | 13 | 2 | 10 | 33 | 35 | -2 | 41 |
| 6 |  Harju |
26 | 10 | 1 | 15 | 36 | 43 | -7 | 31 |
| 7 |  Pärnu Vaprus |
25 | 9 | 4 | 12 | 34 | 46 | -12 | 31 |
| 8 |  Nõmme United |
27 | 9 | 1 | 17 | 44 | 62 | -18 | 28 |
| 9 |  Kuressaare |
26 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 30 | 42 | -12 | 28 |
| 10 |  Narva Trans |
27 | 5 | 3 | 19 | 21 | 62 | -41 | 18 |
