Estonia face Andorra in a friendly on Tuesday evening, with two of the national team’s longest-serving players set to make their final appearances.
After a 0-5 defeat to Italy at the weekend, the Estonian men’s national team are back in action again on Tuesday with a friendly against Andorra at the A Le Coq Arena in Tallinn.
“Now that we have Andorra at home, we can use this game to make some adjustments,” Estonain goalkeepr Karl Jakob Hein said following the loss in Bergamo. “The next international windows are also coming up – at home against Italy, we definitely have to play a different game. That’s our plan, to play a better game in every sense. We’re working towards that, we’re going to see the camp through to the end and work to ensure that there are no more results like this.”
The game will also be a chance for fans to bid a final farewell to two of the national team’s longest serving players. Konstantin Vassiljev and Taijo Teniste, who boast over 200 caps between them, will both be playing their last match for the side.
Konstantin Vassiljev and Taijo Teniste. Source: Brit Maria Tael
Konstantin Vassiljev is Estonia’s most-capped men’s team player, with 158 appearances and 26 goals to his name. Vassiljev was handed his national team debut by coach Jelle Goes in 2006 at the age of 21 during the 1-1 draw with New Zealand at the A. Le Coq Arena.
He scored his first international goal in 2009 away against Armenia. Vassiljev went on to become team captain, was voted Estonian footballer of the year three times, and won the Silver Ball award for the national team’s best goal of the year on six separate occasions. He last played for the national team in June 2024 against Switzerland.
The match against Andorra will be Taijo Teniste’s 100th and final appearance for the national team.
Teniste made his national team debut under Viggo Jensen in 2007 in an away game against Saudi Arabia. He scored his only national team goal to date in a 4-0 away win against San Marino in 2022. Teniste last represented Estonian in 2023 at A. Le Coq Arena against Belgium.
The men’s international friendly between Estonian and Andorra takes place on Tuesday, September 9 at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn. Kick off is at 7 p.m. Estonian time, with live coverage on ETV2 here from 6.45 p.m.
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