Zenit get top billing

By Eduard Nisenboim

Scraping past Austrian side SV Pasching in the UEFA Cup second qualifying round served as a reminder to Russia's FC Zenit St. Peterburg that European football is not their forte.

Narrow escape
In stealing through on away goals after losing the 3-1 in Austria but winning the home leg 2-0, Zenit lived on their wits in qualifying, but this will not stop them from hoping for first-round success against FK Crvena Zvezda tonight.

Hopeful club
For while the team have had little to show for their efforts in the course of their history - a Soviet title in 1984 and Russian Cups in 1944 and 1999 - it has never stopped the football fans in Russia's second city from chanting "Zenit are champions" at every opportunity.

Coming back
And certainly, at the moment, the club's supporters have more reasons for singing than at any time in recent decades. Having sunk down into the second division during a disastrous spell in the late 1980s and early '90s, Zenit have been on the road to recovery since returning to the top flight in 1996.

Foreign coach
They only gained promotion because the league was expanded to 18 teams, and in the following years, the team from the banks of the Neva river hardly set the league alight before their former president, Vitaliy Mutko, decided to break with tradition and hire a foreign coach two years ago. Czech specialist Vlastimil Petrzela has proved to be an inspired signing.

Second place
In 2003, Petrzela asked Mutko what he expected from the coming season. According to the coach, the president said: "[PFC] CSKA [Moskva] will get the title, so we have to fight for second place." That is exactly what Zenit achieved, winning 4-1 against CSKA on the way, to earn a place in this season's UEFA Cup.

Great campaign
However, the 2004 Russian season is proving to be even more successful for Petrzela's men, who top the table after 22 games and are playing some excellent, speedy football which, for the time being, is keeping CSKA and FC Lokomotiv Moskva off their familiar spots at the summit of the Premier-Liga.

Defensive frailties
Although he signed a Lithuanian, Egidijus Maius, a Slovakian, Martin Škrtel, and a Czech, Jan Flachbart, in the summer in order to strengthen a leaky defence, Petrzela has yet to entirely resolve Zenit's frailty at the back. However, he has plenty of strength elsewhere on the field.

Russian internationals
UEFA EURO 2004™ saw Zenit provide four players for the Russian national team, with goalkeeper Viacheslav Malafeev, midfield players Vladimir Bystrov and Vladislav Radimov as well as striker Aleksandr Kerzhakov all joining Georgi Yartsev's squad in Portugal.

Striking jewel
The 22-year-old Kerzhakov is the jewel in Zenit's crown. Valued at as much as €8m, he has piqued the interest of a number of European clubs, and remains a vital cog in the Zenit machine. In their last game, it was his sweet free-kick that saw off FC Krylya Sovetov Samara. It was his 14th goal of the season.

First time
Whether this firepower will help Zenit as they start their UEFA Cup campaign in Belgrade remains something of a mystery. The club have never amounted to much in European terms, but as they continue to battle for their first post-Soviet title, Petrzela's men are well aware that there is a first time for anything.