Gorica going for gold

By Martin Pavcnik

Slovenian sides have rarely made a better start in European competition than in 2004/05. After last week's UEFA Champions League first qualifying round and UEFA Cup qualifying round, the three representatives of the former Yugoslav republic are firmly in control of their ties.

Great start
In the UEFA Cup, NK Maribor are a goal to the good after the away leg of their meeting with NK Sileks from F.Y.R. Macedonia, while NK Primorje hold a similar advantage following their visit to Malta's Marsaxlokk FC. However, it is NK Gorica who have impressed most.

Pinni unsatisfied
The Champions League contenders returned from the Tallinn leg of their tie against perennial Estonian title-winners FC Flora with a 4-2 lead. Nonetheless, that margin of victory did not satisfy the coach of the 1996 and 2004 champions, Pavel Pinni.

'Ups and downs'
"A solid win in Estonia was a huge step towards the next round, but we will have to work hard for another 90 minutes," he said. "The final result was good for us, but the performance of my team wasn't at the right level. There were too many ups and downs. We have to correct that."

Clinical finishing
Gorica's fighting spirit and clinical finishing were key factors in last Wednesday's win, but all the players are keen to show they can play football too. They will have the chance to do that when Flora make the trip to the partly renovated Sportni park in Nova Gorica this week.

Maribor catastrophe
Many in Slovenia are still a little surprised to see Gorica in the Champions League, after they took advantage of a defeat for Maribor on the last day of the season to take the title with a 2-0 win against FC Koper. That result denied Maribor an eighth consecutive championship.

Shock success
"It is a surprise," was Pinni's immediate reaction. "At the start of the season we didn't even dream that we could be in such a position. Slowly, with patience, we have been building towards this and have achieved a fantastic result."

No fluke
Gorica's triumph owed more to excellent team play than an excess of star talent, but having retained most of the players who won the league, Pinni's men have the opportunity to prove that their success - and the victory against Flora - was no fluke.

Club's finest
Goalkeeper Mitja Pirih saved a penalty in Tallinn but will want to improve on an otherwise jittery performance, while Sasa Ranic, Miran Srebernic, Matej Mavric, Ales Kokot, Admir Kršic and Aleksander Rodic - the players regarded as the club's finest - will be out to make a good impression on home soil.

Roma rout
Gorica are no strangers to continental competition, having played in Europe in six of the last nine seasons. Success has been hard to come by, though, with an 11-1 aggregate defeat by AS Roma in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup being a highlight of sorts.

København calling
But with their Champions League debut - Slovenia's champions were not entered into the competition when Gorica won the title in 1996 - Pinni's side are hoping that a potential second qualifying round tie against FC København could herald further glory.