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May 20, 2005
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Gazaev’s Time in Europe
// CSKA has gone down in the history
The UEFA Cup
FC CSKA gained the historic victory for the Russian sport winning the UEFA Cup on Wednesday by beating Sporting in their Jose Alvalade stadium. Never before has any Russian football team achieved similiar success in the international competitions.
The victory of CSKA is enjoyable not only because of its importance. A rival respected in Europe was defeated totally and spectacularly. Even when CSKA allowed a goal a sense that the Russians were stronger would earn the win did not disappear. After the Russians equalized the premonitions turned into the assurance.

The opening of the match was tough for CSKA. Sporting that played at their home stadium, dominated the game at the beginning of the second half. At first, it was impossible to hear three thousand CSKA fans (let alone, Valery Gazzaev, CSKA coach, who gesticulated frantically, as usual). The Portuguese fans muffled even the whistles of the referee Graham Poll. On the other hand, Sporting did not really threaten the goal of Igor Akinfeev of Russia for a long time. The Portuguese just could not reach CSKA penalty area. The Russians played a cautious and well-organized game. That is why Gazzaev justly considers tactics the main trump of his team.

Our hearts sank first on the twenty fifth minute when Sergey Ignashevich with great effort managed to direct the ball above his goal after a header from the flank. Later it became that it had been a warning. Two minutes afterwards a pass came off the future hero of the match Daniel Carvalho, and Rogerio had a chance to work the ball and shot freely. The shot was superb – Igor Akinfeev did not even stir. CSKA were dumbfounded for some time but quickly recovered and soon achieved some advantage, may it be minor. The Muscovites finally threatened Sporting fans one minute before the break. Carvalho and Ivica Olic by two quick passed gave the ball to Vagner Love who was slowly approaching the penalty areas of the hosts. It was hard to miss fro this position but the Brazilan contrived to do that.

Some time before this, CSKA fans showed they were there. The police tried to make them roll up a big banner hanging from the fan zone that obstructed the field of view for the Portuguese fans sitting below. The Russians resisted. As a result, two CSKA fans who vehemently repulsed the police were banished from their seats.

However, during the second half both CSKA and their fans felt at home in the Jose Alvalade stadium. “Ros-si-ja!” and traditional CSKA songs were clearly heard. CSKA almost created for themselves a vexing second goal, though, at the very beginning. Eluding from a Portuguese Sergey Ignashevich passed back to Igor Akinfeev for him to shot it as far as possible. Oddly enough, Akinfeev decided that it was the Portuguese who last touched the ball, and picked it up. Graham Poll, referee of the match, fixes without hesitation a free shot almost on the line of the CSKA goal. The Portuguese played it well, and it was at the last moment that CSKA defenders knocked out the header of Fabio Rochemback of Brazil. Five minutes later the Portuguese fouled, and in vain. Carvalho passed the ball to Alexey Berezutsky who eluded the opponent scoring – 1-1.

Afterwards there began an open game whose esthetic component was worth of the European cup final. On the 64th minute Elver Rahimic almost left Ivica Olic alone with Sporting keeper Ricardo. The Portuguese team had hardly held their breath this moment when their goalkeeper found himself close to Yuri Zhirkov after a brilliant pass of Carvalho. Zhirkov made best of his job shooting right through the legs of Ricardo – 2-1. The sector of CSKA fans went roaring while the rest of the stadium grew silent. The teams had even accelerated the pace by the end of the match. Sporting players and Portuguese journalists claimed after the game that the 73rd minute of the game became the crucial one. They must have been right to some extent. The position from which Rogerio struck the post cannot be even called killing: he was shooting at a meter distance in the empty net. The ball was flying at a high speed, though. While the Portuguese were overcoming the shock after this terrible miss, CSKA created a counter-attack. Akinfeev passed the ball to Carvalho at the flank who rode a challenge from the defender and shot. Ricardo tried to take a grasp of the ball but in vain. Vágner Love only had to run the ball into the net scoring 3-1. Everything was already clear. Even Valery Gazzaev calmed down. Now he was not rushing along the sideline but stood still calling on this team to play more coolly. And they sealed the victory quite confidently. Daniel Carvahlo was well-deservedly named man of the match. He was granted a prize and a ˆ10,000 cheque.

It is all the more agreeable that CSKA not only displayed a great game on the European level but celebrated in the same manner too. Few minutes after the whistle was blown all the team ran up to the sector of Russian fans and stretched themselves on the field thanking their fans for the support. Later, when CSKA had already started celebrating, the management of the team invited Russian press to the cloak room. Alas! The UEFA representatives barred our way. They let enter the cloak room only the honoured guest: Vitaly Mutko, president of the Russian Football Union, Grigory Surkis, president of the Ukrainian Football Federation, Sergey Yastrzhembsky, presidential advisor. They all left the place very quickly, though all wet. The players showered them with champagne.

   &
Is Valery Gazzaev Hero of Russia?

Leonid Tyagachevv, President of the Russian Olympic Committee:

- It goes without saying. This is an outstanding success of the Russian football and CSKA coach. If everything depended on me, I would have given him the title of the Hero, the Nobel Prize and any kind of sport Oscar. Valera is a true hero!

Evgeny Lovchev, president and coach of Spartak Moscow futsal team:

- This victory surely calls for celebrations. But “Hero of Russia” is too much, it smells of something other. I think this is an outstanding and deserved win of CSKA and Gazzaev. Fans of all Russian teams (Spartak, Dynamo and Torpedo) rooted for them. We beat the Portuguese who lately swept our national team.

Alexander Dzasokhov, president of Russia’s North Osetia republic:

- Surely, he is. He has become a national hero in our republic long ago, and, I am sure, now he will become one in Russia too.

Boris Gryzlov, speaker of the State Duma:

- This win is the Day of Russian Football. This is the first victory of this kind in Russian football’s history. It will offer a new incentive to football development. The holiday that the players of CSKA gave to our country will be remembered. I am convinced that after this victory the Russians will be attending more matches, and the new generation will have new idols.

Gennady Zuganov, leader of the Russian Communist Party:

- The players of CSKA made happy all our country with their win. A hold-held dream of our fans has come true. I have always been a CSKA fan. They have a solid team, the players displayed the perfect physical shape, and, surely, coach Valery Gazzaev was up to scratch.

Alexander Tkachev, governor of Krasnodar Territory, president of FC Kuban:

- He is the man of the clear goal and he is utterly devoted to the Russian football. CSKA coach f undoubtedly deserves this award. I know the ropes of the Russian football so I can say that the victory was back-breaking both for the team and their coach. But we should not rest on the laurels: football does not end up with the win in the UEFA Cup.

Mikhail Tanich, songwriter:

- I am not sure that this win is anyhow connected with heroism. Gazzaev just did his job well, for which he gets his salary, by the way. If we start granting Hero Awards for achievements in sports, we should first of all confer it to Kasparov. Surely, not only CSKA, but also Gazzaev will come down to the history of the Russian football thanks to this victory. I guess he has never dreamed of this glory.

UEFA Cup Is Guarded

The issue of where the UEFA Cup won by CSKA will be placed is to be settled within the next few days, CSKA spokesman Sergey Aksenov reported. “The management of CSKA will soon gather to discuss this question,” Mr. Aksenov said adding that the prize is being now closely guarded. However, he did not rule out that soon when CSKA plays against Spartak in the national championship, some festivities connected with the UEFA Cup will be conducted. “Spartak will host the match but if they let us display the cup to the fans we are sure to do it,” Mr. Aksenov said. He also added that the management of the team would soon hold a meeting of the team with the fans.

RIA Novosti news agency

CSKA Asks for Three More Medals

CSKA management are determined to ask the UEFA to allocate three more gold medals of the UEFA Cup winners to the players who did not take part in the final match but participated at earlier legs.

“Sergey Semak, Dmitry Kirichenko and also Jirgi Jarosik should celebrate with us and be awarded. I am personally grateful to them, we have performed well in the European season thanks to them,” CSKA coach Valery Gazzaev said.

During the season Sergey Semak joined Paris St Germain, Jirgi Jarosik – Chelsea. Dmitry Kirichenko earlier left for FC Moscow.

Under the regulations of the UEFA, each finalist team is given 25 medals, golden and silver. Sporting coach Jose Peseiro officially declared he would not accept his silver prize and would hand it to some of his players.

ITAR-TASS news agency

We Have Done Great Job

Kommersant correspondent Alexey Zhuk talked to the coaches, players and football functionaries who had witnessed the triumph of CSKA shortly after the game.

Valery Gazzaev, CSKA coach

- What did you feel when the final whistle was blown?

- It was amazing. I felt both joy and devastation. What we had strived for so long finally came true! I think CSKA has made a great job today. They not only set a good example for the teams of the Russian championship. Can you images how many boys watched this match, how many of them will now dream to play the same game. This is a real contribution to the development of the Russian football.

- What did you think about after the goal of the Portuguese?

- Nothing like panic, because their advantage was only ephemeral. Well, they held the ball, they hit sometimes from afar but probably it was meant to be so since Sporting played at home. However, from my point of view they played well only for 25 or 30 minutes, no more. If Vagner Love had scored the evident goal at the end of the first half, then we wouldn’t have been nervous at the beginning of the second half. We made some corrections during the break, in the actions of our last midfielders in particular, and then everything went well. I don’t think that 3-1 score fully reflects the advantage we had in the second half. On the whole, our players confirmed their high class and one more time displayed an absolute confidence in their strength.

- Which match was the hardest for CSKA in the competition?

- Naturally, the final. We reached it confidently building the strategy in every leg. We played in different ways at home and in other stadiums. But here we did not have the right to make a mistake.

- You will ask again to alter the calendar of the Russian championship, won’t you? You are to play the match for the Super Cup.

- I think we will have to do that. But it’s for the Super Cup after all…

- Who is going to leave the team soon?

- I can’t say definitely. Nine our players received serious offers from foreign teams before the final. Now the demand for our player will soar. All our players are young and talented. But I can assure our fans that there won’t be a massive leaving of the team.

Daniel Carvalho, CSKA half-back

- What emotions does a player who has been named the man of the UEFA Cup final feel?

- I’m extremely happy. I’m overwhelmed with emotions, I can’t even find the words to describe the way it feels. I can only say that I would like to share the prize with my team mates. I am just a part of the team.

- Do you agree with the statement that CSKA was lucky today?

- I would put it this way: we are ashamed of our game in the first half. It was not the real CSKA at the pitch then. We discussed during the break why it had not worked well and decided that we just hadn’t given everything to the game. We agreed that we should play better, and if we lose, then we will lose at least with honour.

- Your friend and country mate Fabio Rochemback plays for Sporting. Have you spoken to him?

- Not yet, but if I see him soon, then I will congratulate him. Yes, I will congratulate him. Playing in the UEFA cup final is a dream of many players. It is a big achievement, even if you lose.

- Can CSKA improve its play?

- We are in very good shape at the moments but we’ll try not to ease off. It’s very hard to make it to the top but it’s even harder to stay there.

Vitaly Mutko, president of the Russian Football Union

- Can the win of CSKA be called a surprise?

- Not at all. CSKA well deserved it. I knew from the outset that it was going to be hard because they played in the stadium of the opponent. The first half confirmed this apprehension. There were too many emotions. But then everything went well. CSKA played brilliantly during the second half. I met the team long before the game and realized that there were confident of success. If we try to be objective, we should say that CSKA has not been inferior to the rivals of the level of Sporting long ago, they simply did not have the experience.

- Do many people fear that we will have to wait long for the success to repeat?

- I believe that it will be the other way round. Now we really need our five or six teams to constantly play at the high level. We don’t need the diplomacy to develop football. We need real success of our clubs and the national team.

Grigory Surkis, president of the Ukrainian Football Federation

- Has the victory of CSKA come suddenly for you?

- CSKA has played spectacular football throughout the season, they have defeated lots of serious clubs. I watched all their games. They have showed that Eastern European teams can win important tournaments if they properly manage their finances and have good infrastructure. You can ask the former president of the Russian Football Union Vyacheslav Koloskov. We sat together with him tonight, and I accurately predicted the way the game would unfold. For instance, after Vagner Love missed on the last minute of the first half, I reassured Koloskov and Evgeny Giner [president of FC CSKA]. I told them that we would score after the break, and Vagner Love would be sure score too. Everyone can see he is a high class player. He does not miss twice.

- Who do you think the Ukrainian community supported tonight?

- I know that many Ukrainian were present in the stadium tonight, and certainly they rooted for the Russian team. I am sure that Russians would support a Ukrainian club or any other ex-USSR team if they had played in the final.

- Is a Ukrainian team capable of achieving the same success soon?

- They have an aspiration for it. Dynamo and Shakhater, at least. But they need much to win such kind of competition, including luck.

All winners of the Fairs Cup and the UEFA Cup

Year Team

1958 Barcelona (Spain)
1960 Barcelona*
1961 Roma (Italy)
1962 Valencia (Spain)
1963 Valencia
1964 Zaragoza (Spain)
1965 Ferencvaros (Hungary)
1966 Barcelona
1967 Dinamo (Yugoslavia)
1968 Leeds (England)
1969 Newcastle (England)
1970 Arsenal (England)
1971 Leeds
1972 Tottenham (England)**
1973 Liverpool (England)
1974 Feyenoord (the Netherlands)
1975 Borussia (Germany)
1976 Liverpool
1977 Juventus (Italy)
1978 PSV Eindhoven (the Netherlands)
1979 Borussia (Germany)
1980 Eintracht (Germany)
1981 Ipswich (England)
1982 Goteborg (Sweden)
1983 Anderlecht (Belgium)
1984 Tottenham
1985 Real (Spain)
1986 Real
1987 Goteborg
1988 Bayer (Germany)
1989 Napoli (Italy)
1990 Juventus
1991 Inter (Italy)
1992 Ajax (the Netherlands)
1993 Juventus
1994 Inter
1995 Parma (Italy)
1996 Bayern (Germany)
1997 Schalke 04 (Germany)
1998 Inter
1999 Parma
2000 Galatasaray (Turkey)
2001 Liverpool
2002 Feyenoord
2003 Porto (Portugal)
2004 Valencia
2005 CSKA

* The Fairs Cup was not held in 1959.
**The Fairs Cup was renamed the UEFA Cup in 1972.
Alexey Zhuk

All the Article in Russian as of May 20, 2005

See Also
Myskina Shelves the Slam // News (May 24, 2005) Russians Traditionally Underestimated ... // News (May 23, 2005) Victory Night // Documents (May 20, 2005) CSKA Moscow Wins UEFA Cup  // News (May 19, 2005) Roger Federer Named Laureus World ... // News (May 18, 2005)
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