2008 Meistriliiga

Meistriliiga

Season	2008
Champions	Levadia (6th title)
Relegated	Vaprus TVMK
Champions League	Levadia
Europa League	Flora Narva Trans Kalju
Matches played	180
Goals scored	639 (3.55 per match)
Top goalscorer	Ingemar Teever (23)
Biggest home win	TVMK 8–0 Tallinna Kalev
Biggest away win	Tulevik 0–8 Flora
Highest scoring	Vaprus 3–10 TVMK
← 2007 2009 →

The 2008 season of Meistriliiga , the first level in the Estonian football system, was the 18th season in the league's history. It began on 8 March 2008 and ended on 15 November 2008. The defending champions were Levadia.

Promotion and relegation

10th placed Ajax were directly relegated after the end of the previous season. Since reserve squads are not allowed to be promoted to Meistriliiga, third placed Esiliiga team Sillamäe Kalev were directly promoted to 2008 Meistriliiga.

Kuressaare (9th placed Meistriliiga team) and Kalju (6th placed Esiliiga team) competed in promotion/relegation play-offs for one spot in 2008 Meistriliiga. The aggregate score was 2–2 and Nõmme Kalju were promoted due to scoring more away goals.

Clubs and venues

Flora
Kalju
Levadia
Tallinna Kalev
TVMK

Sillamäe Kalev

Maag Tammeka

Tulevik

Vaprus

Trans

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Location of teams in Meistriliiga 2008

Team	Location	Stadium	Capacity	Manager
Flora	Tallinn	A. Le Coq Arena	9,300	Pasi Rautiainen
Kalju	Tallinn	Hiiu Stadium	500	Getúlio Fredo
Levadia	Tallinn	Kadriorg Stadium	5,000 [1]	Igor Prins
Maag Tammeka	Tartu	Tartu Tamme Stadium	1,500 [2]	Sergei Zamogilnõi
Sillamäe Kalev	Sillamäe	Sillamäe Kalev Stadium	800	Vadym Dobizha
Tallinna Kalev	Tallinn	Kalev Keskstaadion	11,500 [3]	Aavo Sarap
Narva Trans	Narva	Kreenholm Stadium	1,065 [4]	Aleksei Yagudin
Tulevik	Viljandi	Viljandi linnastaadion	1,084 [5]	Marko Lelov
TVMK	Tallinn	Kadriorg Stadium	5,000 [1]	Sergei Ratnikov
Vaprus	Pärnu	Pärnu Kalev Stadium	1,900	Ants Kommussaar

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Levadia (C)	36	29	6	1	105	22	+83	93	Qualification for Champions League second qualifying round
2	Flora	36	28	7	1	113	28	+85	91	Qualification for Europa League second qualifying round [a]
3	Narva Trans	36	16	8	12	62	54	+8	56	Qualification for Europa League first qualifying round
4	Kalju	36	16	7	13	65	64	+1	55
5	Sillamäe Kalev	36	13	6	17	49	79	−30	45
6	Tulevik	36	9	4	23	31	74	−43	31 [b]
7	Maag Tammeka	36	9	4	23	45	76	−31	31 [b]
8	Tallinna Kalev	36	6	8	22	37	70	−33	26
9	Vaprus (R)	36	5	2	29	41	125	−84	17	Qualification for relegation play-off
10	TVMK [c] (R)	36	20	6	10	91	47	+44	66	Relegation to Esiliiga

Source: Estonian Football Association (in Estonian)
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) number of wins; 3) head-to-head points; 4) head-to-head goal difference; 5) head-to-head goals scored; 6) goal difference; 7) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:

1. Flora won the 2008–09 Estonian Cup and qualified for second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. Therefore, Nõmme Kalju, fourth-placed team and cup runners-up, earned a spot in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.
2. TUL: 6 pts, 7–5; M-T: 6 pts, 5–7
3. On 6 November 2008, the Estonian Football Association decided not to grant TVMK a license to play in Meistriliiga or Esiliiga, due to financial difficulties during the season. The Estonian Football Association allowed them to play until the end of the season and as they finished in third place, the players and coaches received bronze medals, but the club itself was dropped to 10th place. ^{[6] [7]} TVMK were eventually disbanded.

Relegation play-off

Vaprus and Esiliiga side Paide Linnameeskond competed in a two-legged relegation play-off for one spot in 2009 Meistriliiga. Aggregate score was 5–5 and Paide Linnameeskond secured their place in 2009 Meistriliiga because they scored more away goals (3–1).

20 November 2008

13:00 EET

Paide Linnameeskond	2–1	Vaprus
Polyansky 22' (o.g.) Ellram 67'	Report (in Estonian)	Kovalenko 90'

Paide Ühisgümnaasiumi stadium

Attendance: 150

Referee: Ainar Kuusk

---

23 November 2008

12:00 EET

Vaprus	4–3	Paide Linnameeskond
Joost 48' Pakk 70', 75' Polyansky 72'	Report (in Estonian)	Saar 13' Voolaid 43' Ellram 65'

Pärnu Kalevi Stadium

Attendance: 100

Referee: Jaan Roos

Results

Each team played every opponent four times, twice at home and twice on the road, for a total of 36 games.

First half of season Home \ Away FLO NÕM LEV M-T SIL T.K NAR TUL TVM VPR Flora 1–1 0–2 3–1 4–0 4–1 3–3 3–1 3–1 7–0 Nõmme Kalju 1–7 0–4 2–1 3–0 2–1 1–1 2–0 1–5 3–1 Levadia 2–2 2–2 1–1 4–0 3–1 3–1 2–0 2–0 7–0 Maag Tammeka 1–3 2–1 1–3 2–0 0–2 0–1 2–0 1–2 4–1 Sillamäe Kalev 0–3 2–1 0–5 1–1 2–1 1–3 1–0 1–3 1–4 Tallinna Kalev 0–3 2–0 0–2 2–0 2–5 1–2 2–1 1–1 1–2 Narva Trans 1–2 1–0 0–3 1–1 3–1 0–0 4–1 1–1 1–0 Tulevik 0–8 0–0 0–1 3–1 1–1 3–2 1–0 0–3 0–1 TVMK 0–0 0–1 3–0 1–0 5–1 5–2 1–1 6–1 2–1 Vaprus 1–6 0–2 0–4 2–4 1–3 2–0 0–6 2–4 1–5 Source: Matchday 1–9 results Matchday 10–18 results (in Estonian) Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Second half of season Home \ Away FLO NÕM LEV M-T SIL T.K NAR TUL TVM VPR Flora 4–0 0–0 6–2 7–1 1–1 2–1 4–1 4–2 3–0 Nõmme Kalju 0–3 1–2 2–1 2–2 3–2 7–3 2–0 2–0 5–1 Levadia 0–0 1–0 4–1 5–1 2–1 7–2 5–0 1–1 4–0 Maag Tammeka 1–2 2–3 1–3 0–2 1–0 1–4 2–1 2–3 1–0 Sillamäe Kalev 0–1 2–1 1–4 2–1 2–1 4–4 0–1 0–1 3–2 Tallinna Kalev 0–1 2–3 1–5 1–1 0–0 2–0 1–2 2–2 1–1 Narva Trans 0–2 1–1 0–1 4–1 0–3 1–0 3–0 1–0 3–0 Tulevik 1–2 1–4 0–5 3–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 0–1 1–2 TVMK 1–3 2–1 1–2 6–2 1–2 8–0 0–1 2–1 6–2 Vaprus 1–6 5–5 0–4 1–2 2–4 0–1 2–4 0–2 3–10 Source: Matchday 19–27 results Matchday 28–36 results (in Estonian) Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Season statistics

Top scorers

Rank	Player	Club	Goals [8]
1	Ingemar Teever	Kalju	23
2	Nikita Andreev	Levadia	22
3	Sander Post	Flora	19
4	Jarmo Ahjupera	Flora	17
	Felipe Nunes	Kalju
6	Tarmo Kink	Levadia	16
7	Henri Anier	Flora	15
	Indrek Zelinski	Levadia
9	Irfan Ametov	Sillamäe Kalev	13
	Artjom Dmitrijev	TVMK
	Vladislav Gussev	TVMK
	Nikolai Lõsanov	Narva Trans

Awards

Monthly awards

Month	Manager of the Month		Player of the Month
	Manager	Club	Player	Club
March [9]	Getúlio Fredo	Kalju	Sander Post	Flora
April [9]	Igor Prins	Levadia	Ingemar Teever	Kalju
May [9]	Pasi Rautiainen	Flora	Konstantin Nahk	Levadia
June [9]	Igor Prins	Levadia	Vjatšeslav Zahovaiko	Flora
July [9]	Pasi Rautiainen	Flora	Mihhail Starodubtsev	Sillamäe Kalev
August [9]	Igor Prins	Levadia	Juha Hakola	Flora
September [9]	Vadym Dobizha	Sillamäe Kalev	Tarmo Kink	Levadia
October [9]	Aleksei Yagudin	Narva Trans	Marek Lemsalu	Levadia

See also

• 2008 Esiliiga

References

1. "Kadrioru Staadion" (in Estonian). Eesti Spordiregister.
2. "Tartu Tamme staadion" (in Estonian). Estonian Football Association.
3. "Kalevi Keskstaadion" (in Estonian). Estonian Football Association.
4. "Narva Kreenholmi staadion" (in Estonian). Estonian Football Association.
5. "Viljandi linnastaadion" (in Estonian). Estonian Football Association.
6. FC TVMK meeskonnad langesid Meistri- ja Esiliigast välja. Archived 2009-06-21 at the Wayback Machine (in Estonian)
7. TVMK kadumine ulatas Vaprusele õlekõrre (in Estonian)
8. "MÄNGUDE AJALUGU" (in Estonian). Estonian Football Association.
9. "Oktoobri parimad Lemsalu ja Jagudin". Eesti Päevaleht (in Estonian). 31 October 2008.

External links

• soccernet.ee (in Estonian)
• soccerassociation.com