Flora lose to Iberia 2-3 in Champions League qualifier despite late equalizer
Tallinn's Flora lost 2-3 at home to Georgia's Iberia 1999 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, despite equalizing while down to ten men.
On Wednesday, July 8, Flora of Tallinn hosted Georgian champions Iberia 1999 at the A. Le Coq Arena in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round. The visitors started strong: in the 18th minute, Zviad Nachkhebia opened the scoring, and three minutes later Jemali-Giorgi Dzhindzholava converted a penalty to double the lead.
Flora pulled one back before halftime when Vladislav Kreida scored in the 28th minute, making it 1:2. The turning point came in the second half: in the 61st minute, after a VAR review, the referee changed his original decision and showed a straight red card to Flora defender Airon Collo, leaving the home side with ten men.
Despite being a man down, Tallinn equalized in the 73rd minute. Sander Alamaa scored from a pass by Sergei Zenjov to make it 2:2. However, the hosts could not hold on for a draw. Two minutes later, Iberia midfielder Bakar Kardava headed in from a corner kick to secure a 3:2 victory.
The return match will take place next week in Tbilisi. The winner of the two-legged tie advances to the second qualifying round of the Champions League, while the loser will move to the UEFA Conference League.
