FCI Tallinn crowned champions in Estonia
Saturday 5 November 2016
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"You never get tired of winning titles," said FCI Tallinn captain Andrei Kalimullin as his side claimed their maiden Estonian title – and the 39-year-old's seventh – on Saturday.
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FCI Tallinn have claimed their first Estonian league title, coming from behind to beat Nõmme Kalju and thus hold off a last-day challenge from Levadia Tallinn and 2015 champions Flora Tallinn.
FCI topped the table at kick-off but trailed at half-time due to Ats Purje's third-minute strike, while Flora led Levadia 1-0 in the other big final-round game. However, Ofosu Appiah levelled for FCI, and Sergei Mošnikov to score the winner after excellent work from Jevgeni Harin. Levadia rallied to win 2-1 in the other game, but to no avail, FCI ending the season two points clear at the top.
"You can say a risk paid off if you get the result," said FCI and Estonia defender Dmitri Kruglov, who has been playing despite injury in recent weeks. "We didn't start very well today, but our guys are did a good job – they rolled up their sleeves in the second half, created chances, scored goals and won the title."
FCI's first title was the seventh for their 39-year-old captain Andrei Kalimullin who made his his 500th Estonian top-flight appearance today. "I came here five years ago when FCI were in the second division," he said. "Today, we won the title. It's just overwhelming. You never get tired of winning titles."
