Zelinski sinks San Marino

Estonia managed a narrow 1-0 win over their hosts San Marino in an international friendly match in Serravalle tonight thanks to Indrek Zelinski's 36th-minute strike.

Estonia’s all-time leading scorer
The Aalborg BK striker’s goal made him the leading goalscorer in the Estonian national team’s history with 22 international goals surpassing the pre-war player, Eduard Ellman-Eelma, who scored 21.

Deserved victory
Estonia deserved their victory but after a tough match against Poland three days ago and an exhausting trip to San Marino, the team looked a little weary. Coach Arno Pijpers surprisingly opted to play his first-team including goalkeeper Mart Poom, despite promising to give a chance to SC Rotor Volgograd's Sergei Pareiko.

Difficult angle
San Marino played good technical football and despite Estonia's domination had their chances. However, Zelinski hit the only goal of the game when he won a challenge in the penalty area and shot from a difficult angle past Federico Gasperoni in the San Marino goal.

Missed chances
Zelinski hit the net again in the first half but had his effort ruled out following a questionable offside decision. In the second half, substitute Dmitri Ustritski had a clear chance but managed only to hit the advancing goalkeeper.

Experimental team
San Marino's best chance came in the third minute of stoppage time when a dangerous free-kick deflected off the Estonian wall and flew over the crossbar. San Marino experimented with their personnel ahead of EURO 2004™ qualifying and played a lot of young players. The only professional in the team was Grosseto Calcio's Andy Selva.