28 septembre

Le 28 septembre 1976, la route vers la gloire européenne commence avec une victoire 2-0 face aux modestes irlandais des Crusaders.

Quote :

Everyone remembers Rome 1977 - but what about the first tie of that European adventure?

Those who made the short journey across the Irish Sea may not have realised it at the time, but the side that had been restricted to a 2-0 first round, first leg win at Anfield against part-timers Crusaders, was on the verge of greatness.

The media had been expecting an avalanche of goals and so the pressure was on for Bob Paisley's men ahead of the return fixture at Seaview.

Although no-one felt there was a realistic chance of a major upset, there were some who thought the home side could make life difficult for the Reds on their own turf.

It could well have turned out that way too but luck was not on their side as they twice struck the woodwork in the opening 20 minutes.

If you are going to beat Liverpool then such openings need to be converted and there was certainly an air of inevitably when Kevin Keegan opened the scoring on 34 minutes.

The England man broke the home supporters' hearts and effectively secured Liverpool's passage into round two when he volleyed a sublime effort beyond the keeper.

It remained 1-0 until nine minutes from time when a flurry of goals from Terry McDermott, Steve Heighway and two from David Johnson gave the scoreline a more emphatic look.

It was hardly the most impressive start but it was an important win in a match that set the Reds on the road to one of the most important triumphs in their history.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N157128070928-0919.htm