Levadia dominated but couldn’t convert: Defeat in the Tallinn derby and loss of top spot

In the second Tallinn derby of the Premium Liiga season, FCI Levadia suffered a 0–1 loss to FC Flora – a result that didn’t reflect the run of play, but came with a painful consequence.

Alongside the defeat came the loss of the league lead: before the match, Levadia sat in first place with 28 points, with Flora just two behind. With today’s win, Flora rose to the top with 29 points, pushing Levadia down to second place.

The match began with a shock – in just the 4th minute, Rauno Sappinen put Flora ahead, capitalizing on an error by Levadia goalkeeper Oliver Ani. Although Levadia controlled the rest of the match – 76% possession, 22 total shots (8 on target), and 9 corners – the final touch and accuracy were missing this time.

In the 19th minute, Levadia had a great chance to equalize when Enock Otoo won a penalty – Flora’s goalkeeper Evert Grünvald was late to the challenge and brought Otoo down inside the box. Otoo aimed his penalty to the left (to Grünvald’s right), but the keeper read it correctly and held the ball firmly.

Levadia showed plenty of passion on the pitch – the referee handed out yellow cards to five of our players: Til Mavretic (41’), head coach Curro Torres (45+3’), Ernest Agyiri (55’), Bubacarr Tambedou (83’), and captain Rasmus Peetson (88’). The coaching staff also responded actively with substitutions: Tambedou and Joao Pedro came on in the 65th minute, Mark Oliver Roosnupp in the 80th, and extra attacking power was added in the 86th with Robert Kirss. Flora also received three yellow cards during the match.

Despite Levadia’s dominance on the pitch, it ultimately came down to missed chances – while Flora capitalized on their only real opportunity. Despite the loss, there were many positives in terms of play – and the goal in upcoming rounds is clear: to reclaim the top spot.

We return to action on May 28 against Pärnu JK Vaprus. The match will take place at A. Le Coq Arena, with kickoff at 19:00. We look forward to seeing everyone at the stadium cheering on the team!

Photo: Liisi Troska / jalgpall.ee