Levadia saw off Paide 4-1 in the cup round of 32 on Wednesday evening, a result that feels more comfortable than the final score suggests. The hosts controlled proceedings from the opening whistle, and by then it was clear this wasn't going to be a contest. And here's the thing — Paide had just beaten Nõmme United 4-1 two days prior, but this was a different kind of evening entirely.
Kutateladze opened the scoring after just four minutes, a sharp reflex finish that caught Paide off guard. The visitors needed time to settle, and they didn't get it. Badamosi doubled the lead in the twenty-second minute, and to be fair the home side had earned that advantage through their pressing. Paide's goalkeeper made five saves all match, but most came when the game was already slipping away.
The second half brought more of the same. Kutateladze found the net again in the fifty-third minute, extending his personal tally. Kirss made it four from the spot in the sixty-fifth, and then added another in the seventy-first. Four yellow cards came in quick succession between the seventy and seventy-third minutes — by then the visitors were playing with desperation rather than purpose.
The statistics tell the story without needing elaboration. Levadia enjoyed 65 per cent possession and registered 108 attacks compared to Paide's 63. Expected goals stood at 3.06 for the hosts against 0.13 for the visitors. Seven shots on target for Levadia yielded four goals; Paide managed only one shot on target all evening.
What ended tonight was a run that had Paide feeling confident after their victory over Nõmme United. Levadia, meanwhile, extended their momentum — they'd won four of their last five matches before this one, with only a draw against Vaprus breaking the pattern. The cup round of 32 is just the beginning, but Levadia already look comfortable in their own skin.