Ljubljana, Dec 2 (DPA) Who are Robert Koren, Samir Handanovic, Bojan Jokic, Marko Suler or Miso Brecko? They are footballers, overshadowed to virtual anonymity by bright stars such as Andrei Arshavin or Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Yet, unlike Arshavin and Ibrahimovic, they will play in the World Cup in South Africa next year, representing their tiny country, squeezed between Italy, Hungary, Croatia and Austria, with a mere 2 million inhabitants.

“Our country area fits almost exactly into the territory of Moscow,” Slovenia’s coach Matjaz Kek - another mostly-unknown on the international scene - said ahead of the first, away leg of World Cup qualifications play-off against Russia.

Kek changed the lyrics after the return leg in Maribor on November 18 and the elimination of Russia - together with their star coach Guus Hiddink - from the 2010 World Cup by his team.

“It was evident that our hearts were bigger than the whole of Russia. It’s an incredible will and team spirit of my boys, which gave us the upper hand,” he said.

But, though its squad really is far from widely-known, Slovenia has during its 19-year history proved itself a difficult opponent for much larger footballing nations and has been to major tournaments.

A decade before the triumph over Russia, Slovenia knocked Ukraine out of Euro 2000 and created another sensation when they reached the 2002 World Cup at the expense of Romania.

Instead of being the pinnacle for that generation, the Korea-Japan World Cup turned into a disaster, ending with the expulsion of the leading star, Zlatko Zahovic, from the team and shameful performances on the pitch which all but killed the nation’s football passion.

The decline continued, as the country’s best-ever player, Branko Oblak, failed to pull a new team together from the bench - something which Kek, previously player and coach of the nation’s football powerhouse Maribor - began doing in early 2007.

Working patiently, he has built a compact, disciplined squad around the axis of Udinese’s gifted goalkeeper Handanovic, midfielder Koren of West Bromwich Albion and striker Novakovic, said to be the team’s “ideologist.”

The team visibly matured with each qualifier for the 2010 World Cup and maintained a high spirit despite an occasional stumble, which denied them the top spot in the group and forced them into the play-off against favourites Russia.

And the battle with Russia turned out to be, as Kek put it, the battle of hearts which his boys won. After that, everybody in the euphoric Slovenia stopped caring about size and now sees rivals in South Africa eye-to-eye.

The Coach:

Matjaz Kek, 48, was a central defender as a player who ended his career in Slovenia’s Maribor, after spending his professional prime in Austria, with Spittal and GAK Graz.

He retired just across the sideline, to Maribor’s bench as assistant coach and later head coach. Fired in 2006, amid financial and hooligan troubles in Maribor, Kek took on the Slovenian youth teams, Under 15 and Under 16, while staying on as a part-time dee-jay on a local radio and football commentator for TV Slovenia.

Frustrated by declining results, the Slovenian football federation fired Branko Oblak and invited Kek to coach the national team in 2007. The newcomer set to balance the lack of extraordinary talent on his squad by imposing a disciplined formation which seldom allows

opponents to play to their strengths.

The goal after qualifying for South Africa? Modestly, for Kek it is to achieve the first World Cup victory with his country, after a loss and two draws in 2000. “We have to savour sweet moments of joy now, we’ll think further after the draw,” he said.

The Star:

“The star is the team,” said Slovenia’s captain Robert Koren when asked who is the top player of his squad. The 29-year-old offensive midfielder, playing for English Championship side West Bromwich Albion, has carried the leadership burden over six difficult years.

Neither he, nor the team performed well until the qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup. In 1994, he made the somewhat curious move to the Norwegian club Lillestrom and was rewarded with the move to England in 2007.

Koren nearly lost his eyesight in a freak accident when a ball struck him in the face that year. He seemed to gain confidence after recovery.

“We are all individuals who matured over the years,” he said. “But most important is the team spirit we are able to create.” Koren is unwilling to think much about his football future, apart from the national team: “I don;t know if, I don;t know where, all I know is we’re going to South Africa.”

Factfile:

Nickname: None

Founded: 1920

FIFA affiliation: 1992

Highest FIFA ranking: 25 - December 2001

Lowest FIFA ranking: 134 - December 1993

Previous World Cup appearances: 1 (2002)

Best World Cup performance: Group Stage (2002)

Qualified for finals: November 18, 2009