Estonia Loses to Iceland by Penalty Kick
The Estonian national football team lost to Iceland in Reykjavik late last night, thanks to a penalty kick in the 54th minute.
Estonia fielded a far stronger lineup than for its previous game against Finland (a 2-0 loss). Henrik Ojamaa - fresh from winning the Polish league championship - and Konstantin Vassiljev, Sergei Pareiko and Ragnar Klavan all started the match.
Pehrsson only made two substitutions in a reverse to the policy of mass changes. The penalty itself was caused by defensive midfielder Karol Mets, who made too much contact in the penalty box. Iceland's Kolbeinn Sigþórsson scored the set piece.
“The defense played well and we managed to create at least five good chances, our attacks were more dangerous,” head coach Magnus Pehrsson told Postimees after the game, adding that it was the team's best game so far under his short reign.
Estonia will face Tajikistan for the fifth friendly game in two weeks in Tallinn on Saturday. After that match, the next game is scheduled against Sweden in Stockholm on September 4. The qualification tournament for the 2016 European Championships begin with a home game against Slovenia on September 8.