TARTU, Estonia (Interstat) — Tartu Welco delivered a commanding performance to open its Esiliiga B campaign, defeating Raplamaa 3-0 on Thursday at New Balance Arena.

The match, a Week 22 fixture in Estonia’s third-tier football league, saw the home side control proceedings from the outset and ultimately translate its dominance into a lopsided victory that exceeded pregame projections.

The contest remained scoreless deep into the second half, but Tartu Welco’s persistent pressure finally told in the 77th minute. Forward Kamal Deen Sulemana broke the deadlock with a decisive finish, providing the crucial opening goal. His contribution was noted as the key performance of the match.

The home side quickly compounded Raplamaa’s troubles, doubling its lead just eight minutes later. Midfielder Mario Pašalić found the net in the 85th minute, effectively sealing the result and extinguishing any lingering hope for the visitors.

Tartu Welco added a third goal in the final moments to complete the comprehensive scoreline, though details of the final scorer were not immediately available. The three-goal margin surpassed the prediction of Interstat’s game simulator, which had projected a narrower 2-1 victory for Tartu Welco. The result also validated the statistical service’s ELO rating system, which had given Tartu Welco an 87.7% probability to win the match.

The victory gives Tartu Welco an ideal start to its Esiliiga B season, moving its record to one win and no losses in the competition. The club’s overall record across all tournaments also stands at one win and zero losses.

For Raplamaa, the defeat marks a difficult beginning to its league campaign. The team now holds a record of zero wins and one loss in Esiliiga B play, mirroring its winless start across all competitions this season.

The match was played in Bergamo, a neutral venue, rather than in Estonia. No reason for the location was provided in the official statistics.

Tartu Welco will look to build on this momentum in its next league fixture, while Raplamaa will seek to regroup and find its first positive result of the year.