Flora Tallinn striker Rauno Sappinen scored three as the Estonian men’s national football team finished 2025 on a high with 4-2 away win against Cyprus on Tuesday.
Estonia got off to a difficult start in Tuesday’s international friendly away to Cyprus, finding themselves a goal down after just 16 minutes.
In a rather unfortunate first half, Cyprus took the lead in the 16th minute when Karl Jakob Hein was unable to keep out an effort from Omonia Nicosia winger Evangelos Andreou.
However, Estonia drew level a minute before the break when Watford midfielder Hector Kyprianou headed into his own net from a corner.
Three minutes into the second half, and the home team were back in front.
Aris Limassol forward Andronikos Kakoullis put Cyprus 2-1 up after capitalizing on a misplaced pass by Bohemians midfielder Vlasi Sinjavski.
Estonia’s substitutions would ultimately prove decisive. In the 61st minute, head coach Jürgen Henn introduced Patrik Kristal (1. FC Köln II) and Rauno Sappinen (Flora Tallinn). It was Sappinen who equalized in the 78th minute, after some neat link-up play between the two replacements.
The FC Flora striker didn’t stop there either, grabbing two more goals in the 83rd and 87th minutes, to claim his first hat-trick for the Estonian national team in just 9 minutes.
The last time Estonia scored four goals in a game was in the 2024 Baltic Cup against the Faeroe Islands.
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