The Vardar they come

By Igor Panevski

There were double-takes across Europe last Wednesday when F.Y.R. Macedonia's champions FK Vardar pulled off the shock of the UEFA Champions League season so far - winning 2-1 at Russian league leaders PFC CSKA Moskva in the second qualifying round.

Brief history
However, the club from the Macedonian capital Skopje still have the home, return leg to negotiate before they can celebrate a victory which would be the greatest in the brief footballing history of the former Yugoslav republic.

Famous victory
Until now, Vardar's best European performance came in 1985 when they reached the second round of the UEFA Cup after an away-goals win against Romania's FC Dinamo Bucuresti. With a side boasting the best Macedonian players of all time - Darko Pancev and Ilija Najdoski - it was a triumph to savour.

Ominous statistic
But since the country gained indepedence in 1992, footballers in F.Y.R. Macedonia have had little to shout about. No Macedonian club has got past the second qualifying round of the Champions League - a statistic which leaves Vardar with a date with destiny at the City stadium on Wednesday.

Achievable goal
"We are facing a great opponent who will be more determined than ever to reach the third round," said forward Srdjan Zaharievski. "Still, the motivation in our ranks is enormous. With the organisation we showed in Moscow and a bit of luck, we can get through."

Midfield class
Supporters will hope that in their young team, Vardar finally have the players to emulate the golden boys of the mid-1980s. Certainly, 20-year-old midfield player Vlatko Grozdanovski has oozed class since joining from FK Cementarnica 55 last winter.

Shining performances
His quality was evident when he scored twice against Turkey in UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying matches, and he has now made his mark in Vardar's first qualifying round win against Wales' Barry Town AFC and the first leg against CSKA. Elsewhere, right-sided midfield player Daniel Djosevski is thriving at Vardar following an unsuccessful season with FC Spartak Moskva and is in contention for an international call-up.

Foreign legion
Foreign players have also excelled, with Nigerian defender Bless'ng Chinedu Anyanviu impressing since returning from a two-year loan at Cementarnica. Fresh from winning the 2002/03 Macedonian Cup with the same club, Brazilian striker Wandeir is also in form at Vardar, having scored against Barry and CSKA.

Vasovski injured
However, what has made Vardar's success all the more startling is that they are still without their best defender, Aleksandar Vasovski, who has watched from the sidelines as he recovers from a thigh injury. Vardar are likely to have to do without him on Wednesday too.

Competent coach
That they seem unconcerned at that prospect is tribute to coach Zoran Stratev. The 43-year-old, who boasts 15 years of coaching experience with FK Makedonija Skopje and Cementarnica, has brought flair and discipline to the squad since his arrival in July.

'Historic opportunity'
And now Stratev wants to achieve success with his young team in Europe. "We have an historic opportunity," he said. "Despite the advantage we have from the first leg I expect an extraordinarily difficult match. CSKA are a very good team and they will surely try to make amends for their mistakes at home.

Destiny calling
"We have a 55 per cent chance to go through. But it's football and all calculations could prove to be wrong. All will be decided on Wednesday on the pitch." By Thursday morning, Stratev and his players could be national heroes.