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Estonia Come From Behind To Down All Whites
by Jeremy Ruane
A goal eight minutes from time saw Estonia complete a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over New Zealand in Tallinn on October 12, as the All Whites began their preparations for the 2003 Confederations Cup Finals in France.
Speedster Noah Hickey was the star turn for the visitors throughout this encounter, and it took the Estonians just five minutes to find out just how quick he was, as the Tampere United player careered down the right to whip in a cross for Aaran Lines.
Sergei Houlov-Simson mopped up on this occasion, but the ringing of the alarm bells in the Estonian rearguard clearly filtered through to the rest of the side, as with their first attack of note, the home team opened the scoring in the ninth minute.
There appeared to be little danger as Kristan Viikmae gathered the ball some thirty yards out from goal with Estonia on the charge, but one defence-splitting pass changed all that in seconds.
For Sergei Terehhov suddenly found furlongs in which to frolic down the left, as the All Whites struggled to counter the danger. They looked on as his cross arrived at the far post, where Aivar Anniste strolled in between spellbound defenders to steer his shot into the net via the inside of Jason Batty’s left-hand post, the goalkeeper left completely exposed by his stunned colleagues.
Estonia immediately assumed the ascendancy, and began probing and passing the ball round at will, waiting for another opening to avail itself in the All Whites’ back-line which they could exploit to the fullest.
The visitors, too, had a tidy spell of possession during this period, but in the 21st minute, were grateful to their goalkeeper for keeping them in the contest. Batty pulled off a stunning one-handed reflex save to thwart Terehhov, after he had ghosted in unseen on the far post to meet a cross from Anniste.
The All Whites were rattled by this, but soon rediscovered their composure, and traded spells of possession with their hosts for the best part of the next fifteen minutes. Estonia were quite content with this arrangement, but two goals in four minutes in the six minutes prior to half-time left the natives somewhat stunned.
Glenn Collins pushed forward to assist Vaughan Coveny in attack, and when Chris Zoricich knocked the ball forward in the 39th minute, the midfielder linked up with the front-runner to present an opening to Hickey.
After taking one touch to control the ball, the All White flyer maintained his goal-per-three-international average with a screamer, lashing the ball into the roof of Estonian goalkeeper Martin Kaalma’s net, albeit with the aid of a slight deflection, to level the scores.
Not content with being on parity, the All Whites, four minutes later, stunned the locals into silence by taking the lead with a superbly taken goal - one of the best this writer can recall seeing New Zealand’s national team execute.
Chris Jackson sent Hickey haring off down the right in pursuit of a through ball, and the speedster showed Erko Saviauk a clean pair of heels prior to whipping in a cross to the near post for the fast-arriving Lines.
The left-winger allowed the ball to cross his body, then steered an exquisitely struck left-foot volley inside the left-hand upright of the diving Kaalma, who was left clutching at air - a stunning strike, and one well worthy of giving the All Whites the half-time advantage.
They held it for just seven minutes, Estonia having hit the ground running come the first whistle of the second spell. Martin Reim let
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fly from twenty yards, but gathered the rebound resulting from Gavin Wilkinson blocking his effort.
Estonia’s captain fed the ball wide to Terehhov, who somehow found both a way to the byline, from where he delivered an angled cross towards the far post. As before, the All Whites gaped at the ball, something which Viikmae didn’t even contemplate doing - he simply headed the ball down past the wrong-footed Batty to make it 2-2.
This sparked a spell of real dominance for the home team, who were decidedly unlucky not to regain the lead soon afterwards. Viikmae headed the ball narrowly wide following a Terehhov cross, while the same source provided a cross for substitute Andrei Stepanov, who, with his first touch, brought a fine save out of Batty.
Collins looked to restore New Zealand’s lead on the hour mark, after Lines - an awkward cross - and Vicelich - a strong second half showing - had engineered the opening. Vicelich himself fired a couple of chances wide of the mark in the next ten minutes, with Coveny also going close during this time, as the All Whites went goal-hunting.
But Estonia twice came close to bettering any one of these efforts - they hit the woodwork Stepanov was the first victim in this regard, his header of a Marko Kristal free-kick shaving the outside of the woodwork in the 65th minute.
Sixty seconds later, Viikmae held off the challenge of the retreating Wilkinson to unleash a ferocious drive which Batty could only look at as it seared past him and crashed to safety off the crossbar.
Stung by these close calls, the All Whites next threatened in the 79th minute, when debutant Brent Fisher, who had come off the bench six minutes later, should have crowned his first appearance with a goal to savour.
Gathering a loose ball on the left, he proceeded to evade three challenges before looking up to find himself one-on-one with the fast-advancing Kaalma. Opting for placement instead of power proved Fisher’s undoing on this occasion, as Estonia’s custodian parried the effort to safety.
Fisher had even more cause to regret that miss three minutes later, when the hosts struck what proved to be the winning goal. Again, it came about as a result of defensive failings, the All Whites all seemingly rooted to the spot as Kaart Haaviatu’s corner arced towards the far post. In charged Indrek Zelinski, and from three yards, you simply do not squander such gilt-edged goalscoring opportunities - 3-2 Estonia.
It should have been 4-2 four minutes later, Aleksander Sarahov having been felled in the penalty area. To Viikmae went the responsibility of finding the net, but from twelve yards, he fired his spot-kick wide of the mark, leaving the game nicely poised for a grandstand finish.
It almost had one, too, for in stoppage time, Gerard Davis drove in a free-kick from the left which Estonia cleared as far as Hickey. His first-time drive screamed goalwards, but flew wide of the mark to leave the home team happy with the win against a side who now travel to Warsaw to take on Poland in four days’ time.
Estonia: Kaalma; Rahn, Houlov-Simson, Saviauk (Rooda, 59); Anniste, Allas (Stepanov, 59), Reim (Haaviatu, 59), Kristal (Jaager, 70), Terehhov (Sarahov, 73); Viikmae, Zelinski (Lindpere, 84)
New Zealand: Batty; Mulligan, Zoricich, Wilkinson, Davis; Vicelich, Jackson, Collins (Jones, 75); Hickey, Coveny, Lines (Fisher, 73)
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