The Estonian women’s national football team beat Latvia 1-0 in the final of the Baltic Cup in Riga on Sunday to retain their title. JK Saku Sporting striker Katriin Saulus netted the winner for Estonia on 66 minutes to confirm their status as the best side in the Baltics.
Saulus’ goal, which came after a mazy run and cross from the left by Liisa Merisalu (Thy-Thisted Q), was her first for the national team and one she’s unlikely to forget in a hurry.
“Liisa was running from the flank and my only thought was, damn, you’ve got to get in front of the goal and hit it. Next thing I knew, the ball was in the back of the net. It was really surreal,” said Saulus after the game.
“In the end, it doesn’t matter how beautiful the win is. What matters is that we managed to repeat our victory and bring the trophy back home. It means a lot to our women’s team and to Estonian football,” said co-head coach Sirje Kapper.
Kapper put the win on Sunday down to the side’s dedication in sticking to their original game plan.
“We were under pressure several times in the first half, but we were able to defend both inside the box and in front of it with great heart. Maybe we didn’t attack as well as we would have liked, but in the second half we created a chance and that was enough,” said Kapper.
The win means Estonia have successfully defended the title they also won in Tartu two years ago. They reached the final this time round with a 2-1 victory on penalties against Lithuania after fighting back to snatch a dramatic 2-2 draw in normal time.
The Faeroe Islands claimed third place in this year’s competition with a 2-1 win over Lithuania earlier on Sunday.
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