NK Maribor in European football

Yugoslav period: 1960–1991

Before the independence of Slovenia, Maribor were part of the Yugoslav Second League for the most time of that period. When playing in the Yugoslav First League, they never finished in the positions for competing in the UEFA competitions, as this places were usually reserved for Red Star, Partizan, Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split, Željezničar and other dominating clubs from that period. However, Maribor were competing in the Mitropa Cup in the 1970–71 season, but were eliminated in the first round by Austrian Grazer on away goals rule (3–1 at home and 0–2 away). This was the first ever official international match for Maribor, and the only one in the Yugoslav period.

Early years: 1992–1996

After the breakup of Yugoslavia, the Football Association of Slovenia established their own competitions. Maribor were the first winners of the Slovenian Cup, when they beat their "eternal" rivals Olimpija Ljubljana in the final. They qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup as one of the domestic cup winners. In the qualifying round, they played against Ħamrun Spartans from Malta. The first match was played on 19 August 1992 at the Ljudski vrt, where Maribor won 4–0. This was the first ever match for the team in the official UEFA competition. Fourteen days later they lost the second leg 2–1, but still managed to qualify for the first round with an aggregate score of 5–2. In the first round, they were drawn against Spanish side Atlético Madrid. Maribor lost the first leg 3–0 at the home turf in front of 8,000 spectators, and later suffered a heavy defeat in the second leg in Madrid, where Atlético won 6–1. In the next season, they played in the UEFA Cup for the first time. They reached the second round, where they were eliminated by Borussia Dortmund. Maribor managed to hold on a draw without goals at the home match. In the second leg, Maribor even managed to take the lead, when Kliton Bozgo scored from a free-kick, but Borussia then managed to score twice, for the 1–2 on aggregate. On 25 August 1994, Maribor played a historic game against Norma Tallinn from Estonia in the Cup Winners' Cup. This was the first match at Ljudski vrt under the floodlights, and also the biggest ever win for Maribor in the European competitions (10–0). The first group stage matches in the UEFA competitions were played in the 1996, when the team competed in the Intertoto Cup. They defeated Austrian team Austria Wien 3–0 at home in the first round, but in the next three games, they only managed to get one point against Keflavík in Iceland. Maribor lost their last two games against two Scandinavian teams, Copenhagen at home and Örebro in Sweden.

Champions League: 1997–2000

In the 1996–97 season, Maribor won the league for the first time. As the Slovenian champions, they started in the Second qualifying round of the 1997–98 Champions League, where they eliminated Derry City from Ireland. In the last qualifying round before reaching the group stages, they were drawn against Turkish side Beşiktaş. Beşiktaş did not manage to win the first game at their own ground in front of 15,000 fans, as the game ended 0–0. However, Maribor players did not cope up with a pressure and lost the second leg 3–1. They continued their European journey in the UEFA Cup, where they were eliminated by Ajax. The first game in Maribor ended with 1–1, but Ajax showed their superiority and heavily defeated Maribor in Amsterdam with 9–1. This is also the club's biggest defeat in the European competitions. In the next season, Maribor came very close to the group stages. After eliminating Kareda Šiauliai in the Second qualifying round, they again reached the last qualifying round before the group stages. This time, they were drawn against another Dutch side, PSV Eindhoven. At Ljudski vrt, Peter Breznik scored in the 83rd minute for 2–1, and gave Maribor one goal advantage before visiting the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven. Dalibor Filipović scored in the fifth minute to give Maribor an important away goal and 1–0 lead, but PSV responded immediately and equalised in the ninth minute. PSV scored another goal half an hour before the end, and match went to the extra time. Maribor paid the cost of inexperience and lost the match 4–2. Again, they continued in the UEFA Cup, and like in the previous season, they were eliminated in the First Round by Polish side Wisła Kraków, losing both games. In the 1999–2000 season, Maribor finally reached the group stage of the elite UEFA Champions League. They started their European triumph with a 5–1 home win against Racing Genk. However, they struggled in the second leg in Belgium. Genk was leading 3–0 and Maribor was down to 10 players as Amir Karić was sent off, but they managed to hold on and advanced 5–4 on aggregate. In the third qualyfing round, Maribor faced Olympique Lyonnais. Dalibor Filipović scored the only goal in France 2 minutes before the full-time. Ticket demands for the second leg were so high, that fans stayed in the line in front of the stadium for the whole night, to secure the tickets. 7,500 spectators saw Maribor defeating the French side 2–0, with goals from Ante Šimundža and Stipe Balajić in the first half. Maribor played in the Group A with Bayer Leverkusen, Dynamo Kyiv and Lazio. After the first round they were in the first place, as they defeat Dynamo in Kiev. Ante Šimundža became the first goal scorer for Maribor in the UEFA Champions League group stages, when he scored the only goal at Valeriy Lobanovskyi Dynamo Stadium in the 73rd minute. In the second round, Maribor lost 2–0 at home to Bayer Leverkusen. Both goals were scored in the last eight minutes. Lazio then defeated Maribor twice, in the third and the fourth round. Both matches ended 4–0 for the Italian team. In the fifth round, Maribor lost 1–2 to Dynamo at the home turf. In the sixth round, Maribor prevented Bayer from qualifying to the further stages. The match in Leverkusen ended with 0–0. Maribor were eliminated from the competition, as they finished in the last, fourth place with four points.

Decline and the Intertoto success: 2001–2008

In the next few seasons, Maribor only played two European matches per year. Decline started in the 2000–01 season, when Maribor was sensationally knocked out of the Champions League in the second qualifying round by Zimbru Chişinău from Moldova. Maribor lost the first leg 2–0. In the return leg, Nastja Čeh gave Maribor the lead in the third minute, but Zimbru put up a great defensive effort and managed to hold on, knocking Maribor out with 2–1 on aggregate. In the 2001–02 season, Maribor was drawn against Rangers from Scotland. The tie was decided after the first match in Maribor, where the Scottish side won 3–0. In the second leg, Maribor took the lead at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, but Rangers then scored three times for 3–1, and Maribor was eliminated 6–1 on aggregate. In the 2002–03 season, they were eliminated by APOEL, again in the second qualifying round. The first match in Maribor ended 2–1 for the home side, but APOEL won 4–2 in Cyprus, and Maribor was again stopped in the second qualifying round, just like in the 2000–01 and the 2001–02 seasons. In the next year, they were eliminated by Dinamo Zagreb, 3–2 on aggregate. The match in Maribor ended 1–1. The Croatian champions won the second leg 2–1 in Zagreb and advanced to the third qualifying round. In the 2004–05 season, Maribor played in the UEFA Cup. They reached the play-offs, but were stopped by Parma. To reach the play-offs, they eliminated Sileks from Macedonia and Budućnost Banatski Dvor from Serbia. In the 2005–06 season, Maribor did not compete in the UEFA competitions. They returned in the 2006–07 season with a huge success. Maribor competed in the Intertoto Cup. Firstly, they defeated Sant Julià from Andorra and Zeta, who competed under the flag of newly established Montenegro. As a reward, Maribor played against Villarreal. The Spanish side played in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League just four months before the match between the two sides took place. In the first match in Spain, Rene Mihelič scored in the 83rd minute for a 2–1 win, and Maribor achieved one of the biggest victories in their history. Ljudski vrt was filled with fans on the second leg, as 9,500 people gathered to see the match. Villarreal took the lead in the 85th minute, but Gorazd Zajc equalized just four minutes later to make it 3–2 on aggregate. Villarreal also had three players sent off. On their official website, UEFA states that Maribor has won one international cup, as Maribor was one of the winners of the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2006. However, the trophy itself was awarded to Newcastle United, the team that advanced farthest in the UEFA competitions that season. As one of the winners of the Intertoto Cup, Maribor continued their European campaign in the UEFA Cup, but were eliminated by Partizan. In the second round of the 2007 Intertoto Cup, Maribor lost 5–0 in the second leg against Hajduk Kula, after winning the first match 2–0. After losing in the 2007–08 Slovenian Cup final to Interblock, Maribor lost their place in the European competitions for the 2008–09 season.

Zlatko Zahovič era: 2009 to present

A Director of Football, Zlatko Zahovič, appointed Darko Milanič as the manager on 29 May 2008. In his first season, Maribor won the league for the first time after six years. in 2009–10 UEFA Champions League, Maribor started in the second qualifying round against WIT from Georgia. The first match away from home ended goalless. Maribor confirmed their spot in the third qualifying round at Ljudski vrt, where they won 3–1. In the next qualifying round, they played against Zürich. Maribor caused an upset and won 3–2 at Letzigrund. Zoran Pavlović scored the third goal directly from a corner, but later missed a penalty. 12,000 fans gathered for the second leg, where Maribor lost 3–0 and was eliminated. However, Maribor continued in the Europa League play-offs, but were eliminated by Sparta Prague. In the 2010–11 season, Maribor again reached the play-offs of the UEFA Europa League. After eliminating Hungarian team Videoton and Hibernian from Scotland, Maribor anticipated Palermo in the play-offs. The Italian side won the first leg 3–0 at the Stadio Renzo Barbera in Palermo. Maribor won the return leg 3–2, but was eliminated 5–3 on aggregate. Armin Bačinović and Josip Iličić, who scored three goals during the European campaign, joined Palermo just one day after the match. 2011–12 was one of the most successful, as Maribor managed to reach the group stages of the Europa League. As the Slovenian champions, they entered in the second qualifying round of the Champions League, where they easily defeat F91 Dudelange, winning both games with 5–1 on aggregate. They were again stopped in the third qualifying round. This time they were defeated by Maccabi Haifa, 3–2 on aggregate. This time, they were drawn against Rangers in the Europa League play-offs. At Ljudski vrt, Maribor were 0–1 down after the first half, but Agim Ibraimi equalised early in the second half. Etien Velikonja scored the winning goal in the additional time, to give Maribor an important win before the trip to Glasgow. In the second leg, Maribor have resisted against the heavy pressure from Rangers, as the Scottish side had 10 attempts on target and 13 off target, in addition to 16 corners. Still, The Violets managed to take the lead in the 55th minute, when Dalibor Volaš scored. Fifteen minutes before the end, Rangers equalised, but Maribor managed to hold on, and Rangers were eliminated 3–2 on aggregate. In the Europa League group stage, Maribor was drawn against the runners-up of the 2010–11 edition Braga, the 2010–11 Football League Cup winners Birmingham City and the Belgian Club Brugge. They lost five out of six games, only managed to draw with Braga at home. In the next season, Maribor reached the play-offs of the Champions League for the first time after the 1999–2000 season, but were eliminated by Dinamo Zagreb, 3–1 on aggregate. Maribor qualified for the Europa League group stages as one of the losers in the Champions League play-offs. This time, they managed to get four points, beating Panathinaikos and drawing with Tottenham Hotspur, both at Ljudski vrt. They lost both games against Lazio. Maribor started their 2013–14 European campaign in the Second qualifying round of the 2013–14 UEFA Champions League with a 2–0 aggregate victory over Birkirkara from Malta. In the Third qualifying round, Maribor eliminated APOEL on away goals rule, securing their place in the play-off round for the second season in a row. However, Maribor once again lost in the play-off round and continued their European season in the group stages of the Europa League for the third time in a row. On 19 September 2013, the team played their first match in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League and was defeated by Russian side Rubin Kazan. On 24 October 2013, Maribor defeated Zulte Waregem 3–1 in Bruges, securing their first ever away victory in the Europa League group stages. On 12 December 2013, Maribor defeated Wigan Athletic 2–1 and qualified for the UEFA Europa League Round of 32 for the first time, finishing at the second place with seven points out of six games. In the Round of 32 they played in a two-legged tie against Spanish side Sevilla (who later won the competition) and lost on a 3–2 aggregate score. Maribor finally reached the group stages of the UEFA Champions League in the 2014–15 season after the unsuccessful attempts in the previous two seasons. They eliminated Zrinjski Mostar, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Celtic in the qualifying phase. Maribor previously qualified for the group stages only once, in the 1999–2000 season. They were drawn into the Group G alongside Chelsea, Schalke 04 and Sporting CP. They managed to obtain three points in six games after a draw and a defeat against each team. In the 2015–16 season, Maribor was eliminated from the European competitions after just two matches, being defeated by Astana in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, meaning the club failed to advance to the third qualifying round of the competition for the first time after the 2003–04 season. After failing to win the Slovenian League for the first time since 2009–10, Maribor qualified to the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round as the Slovenian Cup winners, where they were drawn against Bulgarian team Levski Sofia. After a goalless draw in the first leg at home, Maribor eliminated Levski on away goals rule with an aggregate score of 1–1. After eliminating Aberdeen in the third qualifying round 2–1 on aggregate, the team was eliminated in the play-off round against Gabala 3–2 on aggregate.

Records

By competition

UEFA coefficient

Correct as of 28 May 2016. The table shows the position of Maribor (highlighted), based on their UEFA coefficient club ranking, and four clubs, which are closest to Maribor's position (the two clubs with the higher coefficient and the two with the lower coefficient).

Matches

All-time top goal scorers in UEFA competitions

Below is the list of all-time top ten goal scorers for Maribor in the official UEFA competitions. Players are listed by their total goals scored. If players scored the same amount of goals, they are listed by goals scored in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League etc. If players are still tied, they are listed chronologically, as when was the first goal scored. Players in italic are the current members of the club. Statistics are correct as of 25 August 2016.