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Russian club CSKA aims to make Euro history
CSKA MOSCOW?S presence in the UEFA Cup final against Sporting Lisbon here on Wednesday throws up the prospect of the first ever European trophy for a Russian club.
CSKA MOSCOW’S presence in the UEFA Cup final against Sporting Lisbon here on Wednesday throws up the prospect of the first ever European trophy for a Russian club. Coach Valery Gazzaev’s side have knocked out impressive sides such as Benfica, Partizan Belgrade, Auxerre and Parma on their way to this final at the Jose Alvalade stadium, ironically Sporting’s home ground.
Dynamo Moscow’s defeat in the now-defunct European Cup Winners Cup final in 1972 was the sole appearance by any Russian club in a final, though if you add clubs from Russia, you find three Cup Winners Cup champions — Dynamo Kiev in 1975 and 1986, and Dynamo Tbilisi in 1981.
Gazzaev has reason to be optimistic with his side which has a wealth of talent in the attacking department as long as the young average age of the team — just 22 — does not count against them.
Brazilians Vagner Love and Daniel Carvalho have an inspirational effect on the rest of the team together with Russian under-21 international Yuri Zhirkov, who was superb in the 4-0 thrashing of Auxerre in the home leg of the quarter-final, scoring two goals and setting up another.
However, their first ever victory over an Italian club, in their 3-0 aggregate win over Parma in the semi-finals, really showed their pedigree. CSKA were invincible on their own ground, scoring 11 goals without reply in their four home matches from the last 32 onwards.
Moscow’s 19-year-old keeper Igor Akinfeev even told the Russian press he was looking beyond this year’s UEFA Cup, saying: “If we continue playing the way we have been, we will soon be playing in the Champions League final.
However, CSKA know Sporting will prove tough opposition particularly as the final is on their own pitch. Sporting have a fully-fit squad, including Brazilian Liedson who is the top scorer in Portugal with 24 goals.
