Final flourish for Flora

By Margus Luik

Double winners FC Levadia Tallinn were denied a famous treble, losing 2-1 to deposed league champions FC Flora in Sunday's Estonian Super Cup match.

Odd regulations
Due to Estonian Football Association regulations, the Super Cup was contested by Flora as 2003 league winners and Levadia as 2004 Estonian Cup winners - and Flora recovered from a 14th-minute goal from Levadia left-back Dmitri Kruglov to triumph at the A. Le Coq MiniArena.

Jääger winner
Levadia's lead lasted just 20 minutes on the artificial turf in Tallinn, before the league's top scorer, Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko, conjured an equaliser. Summer signing Enver Jääger then scored in the 77th minute to win the game for Flora and give them a third consecutive Super Cup.

Zamogilnoi released
Elsewhere in Estonia, the season's end has seen JK Merkuur Tartu release coach Sergei Zamogilnoi, even though he guided them to fifth place in their first season back in the Meistriliiga. He has been replaced by a relative unknown in 35-year-old Russian Grigory Yevtushenko.

Mysterious Yevtushenko
Yevtushenko had little experience as a player and the majority of his coaching career has been spent in Finland's lower leagues. His previous job was with Finnish second division side GBK Kokkola where he was sacked in September 2003.

Play-off shock
Another surprise came in the Meistriliiga's promotion/relegation play-off as FC Lootus Alutaguse went down to JK Dünamo Tallinn. Lootus had finished bottom of the top flight but were expected to overcome Dünamo, fourth in the first division, having beaten them 2-1 in the play-off first leg.

Dünamo delight
However, Dünamo overturned the odds in the return to win 4-0 and rejoin the élite for the first time since 1993/94. However, whether they will be allowed to compete in the Meistriliiga will be decided when the licensing procedure is completed in February 2005.

Klavan loaned
Finally, Flora's 19-year-old left-back Ragnar Klavan will spend next season on loan at Norwegian league runners-up Vålerenga IF, where he had a brief spell last term. Vålerenga will have the option of buying the Estonian player at the end of the 2005 campaign.