Estonian football team ends season with 3:0 win over Saint Kitts and Nevis
On Tuesday evening, the Estonian national football team ended its season with a match against Caribbean minnows Saint Kitts and Nevis at A. Le Coq Stadium, in what was the team's distinguished goalkeeper Sergei Pareiko's last appearance in national colors.
The game started with a minute's silence to commemorate the victims of Friday's terror attacks in Paris.
Prior to the game, the police said is was taking extra precautions to ensure safety at the venue. "We're definitely taking this game more seriously," Valdo Põder told ERR.
Ilja Antonov opened score for Estonia 29 minutes into the game. Konstantin Vassiljev and Sander Puri put Estonia ahead by three in the beginning of the second half.
The match was also a celebration of the long and successful career of Estonia's trusty goalkeeper Sergei Pareiko. Pareiko, 38, played his first game for Estonia 19 years ago against Belarus and now wanted to end his professional career with one last appearance for the national side. He played a total of 65 games for Estonia and with 19 years, two months and 17 days separating his first and last appearance, holds the record for the longest career in the national team.
Pareiko spent his club career in Russian teams Rotor Volgograd, Tom Tomsk, and Volga Nizhny Novgorod, Polish Wisła Kraków, and several Estonian teams, including FC Levadia.
"I'm glad everything worked out," Pareiko said after the game, adding that he's happy to retire and it's time for younger players to take over.
Sergei Pareiko (Siim Lõvi/ERR)
2015 ended positively for Estonia, with a total of five wins, four losses and one draw.
Estonia is currently 90th in FIFA world table.
Editor: M. Oll