From European adventures in Wigan and Lazio to title challengers: Can Sven Vandebroeck recreate the glory days of Zulte Waregem? | OneFootball

Just over 20 years ago, Zulte Waregem won the second piece of silverware in the clubs history. It came the year after they had won the Belgian second division and was in the form of the Belgian domestic cup. The side, who had only formed in 2001 after a merger between KSV Waregem and S.K. Zulte, had experienced a meteoric rise under head coach Francky Dury. Dury had two spells with the club, the first between 2001 and 2010 and the second between 2011 and 2021. Both were the most successful periods experienced by the club.

This season, under Sven Vandenbroeck, they have returned to the top flight after a two year absence. After a three game winning streak the side sit seventh and just outside the top six. It has been a few years since Zulte Waregem graced continental football, and the glory days of Dury are long behind them. However, under Vanebroeck, fans can have some belief that maybe they can establish themselves in the top flight once again and then perhaps build back into being what they were just a decade or so ago.

In 2006 the side beat Mouscron to win the Belgian cup for the first time. This saw them qualify for the UEFA Cup during the 2006/2007 season. They overcame Lokomotiv Moscow in qualification to enter a group alongside Austria Vienna, Sparta Prague, Espanyol and Ajax. Back then, groups were made up of five teams with the top three advancing to the knock out stages. They only played each other once, rather than home and away.

Things started well for the side as they thrashed Austria Wien 4-1 away from home, with Tim Matthys, current sporting director at KV Mechelen, scoring a hat-trick. The side then beat Sparta Prague 3-1 at ‘home’, with home being Gent’s now former stadium the Jules Ottenstadion. The final two games saw Zulte Waregem brought back down to earth with defeats to Espanyol (6-2) and Ajax (3-0), but they had qualified for the next round. Unfortunately they faced a strong Newcastle side that won 4-1 on aggregate.

Dury left and then returned to lead the side to the closest they would ever come to lifting the Pro League title, finishing second on the final day of the 2012/2013 season, with Anderlecht lifting the title at their expense. They did gain a ticket to the Champions League, but fell in qualification when they lost to PSV. They returned to the now revamped Europa League after beating Cyrpiot side APOEL Nicosia on aggregate. Hear they were draw with Maribor, Rubin Kazan and Wigan. sadly, this time finishing third would not be enough for qualification, and teams would now play each other twice. Zulte drew 0-0 with Wigan in their opening game, this time playing their home matches in Brugge at the Jan Breydel. Pressure was on after back to back defeats to Rubin Kazan and at home to Maribor, yet in Slovenia a solitary Thorgan Hazard penalty was enough to keep their chances of qualification alive. They travelled to Wigan needing a win, with Hazard and Bernard Malanda keeping their hopes alive in a 2-1 win. Sadly, defeat to Rubin Kazan on the final day and a victory for Maribor at home against Wigan ended Zulte Waregem’s European adventure that year. In the end, their -6 goal difference compared to the -3 of Maribor was all that separated the sides.

The side were not done in Europe however. After losing out on the 2014 cup to Lokeren, Dury and co were back to the qualification rounds of the Europa League. This time they missed out on the group stages altogether after a shock aggregate defeat to Belarussian side Shakhtyor Soligorsk. By the time the side one their second Belgian cup, the coefficient meant that they did not have to enter the qualification rounds for the Europa League that year. Their reward was a tricky group containing Lazio, Nice and Vitesse. Things got off to a terrible start with a 5-1 defeat at home against Nice. Sadly, this also marked the first time that group stage European football had been played at the sides now home stadium, the Regenboogstadion. Aaron Leya Iseka was the man to score the first goal for Zulte Waregem in Europe at home, but it was little more than a conciliation. After a 2-0 defeat away to Lazio and a 1-1 draw at home to Vitesse, Zutle Waregem were almost guaranteed to not be going through. They finally got a win in the competition with a 2-0 victory away in Arnhem, but a 3-1 defeat in Nice ended their hopes.

Yet this did give way to the sides most famous European victory that ensured they avoided finishing bottom of the group. The Regenboogstadion was treated to a five goal thriller at home against Lazio, with goals from Nill De Pauw and Michael Heylen cancelled out by Felipe Caicedo and former Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva. With time winding down, Leya Iseka struck again for his second of the competition and a famous victory for the side.

Sadly, since then, the club known as Essevee has not experienced that level of success. Relegation in 2023 had been on the cards for a few seasons and was inevitable. Yet, under Vandenbroeck, things are starting to look up. Chances of a return to the glory days experienced by Zulte Waregem under Dury are incredibly slim, but nothing is impossible in football. They have started the new campaign well, and fans will note that the last time they got promoted to the top flight they then went on to win the Belgian cup. Surely lightening couldn’t strike for a second time 20 years later?

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson