Giant-slayers from Belarus

[1]

Borisov’s Aleksandr Volodko (left) vies with Bayern Munich’s Philip Lahm.

BATE Borisov. A club few people know about, and fewer still have even heard of. Yet two game-weeks into this season’s Champions League, the Belarusian Club have shaken up European football, and issued a resounding warning to everyone — Do not take us lightly.

Borisov now sit on the top of Group F, having won both of their games so far. Their most recent scalp being Bayern Munich. Last season’s finalists were left embarrassed 1-3 by a side who no one expected to do anything of note, especially after their two previous Champions League outings being such massive failures.
There never was any real reason to assume that BATE would be readier this season to make an impression on the Champions League. The club, who are named after the local automobile and tractor electronics works, hardly gave the impression of having the clout or ambition that is making the football world sit up and take notice of the club from Eastern Europe.
Outside of Belarus, no one would immediately recognise any of their players with the exception of ex-Arsenal, Barcelona and Wolfsburg player Alexander Hleb, who has made his return to the club he first started playing at. Their two overseas players — Brazilian Maycon Rogerio Silva Calijuri and Serbian Marko Simic — are not even household names in their native countries.
This is the third season Borisov have made it to the group stage, and although they enjoyed the odd draw previously, they had not managed a win until they opened this campaign with a victory in Lille. To follow that up by toppling last season's beaten finalists, Bayern, is a heady achievement.
It is still premature to suggest they will be this year's APOEL Nicosia, the little guys from Cyprus who went around pulling the rug from beneath plenty of aristocrats, but the club based in a city many have only heard of in Friends, intend to give it their all.
As the Irish band The Script says, “Standing in the hall of fame. And the world’s gonna know your name.” It cannot be put it any better.