User:ArtVandelay13/LFCEurope

Liverpool F.C. have a long and proud history in European football. Although they were not present at the inception of European competition, the club has gone on to be the most successful English club in Europe, and one of the most successful overall, having won five European Cups and three UEFA Cups.

1955-64
While European competition began in 1955, Liverpool were languishing in the Second Division, where they were to remain until 1962, when manager Bill Shankly guided the team to promotion. Two years later, they won the League Title, ensuring the club's first European qualification.

1964-65
European Cup - Semi-final

Liverpool's first European campaign was certainly eventful. Their first ever fixture was a trip to Iceland, to face champions KR Reykjavik. Liverpool won the first leg 5-0, which was followed up with a 6-1 in the return leg at Anfield, which saw a goal for debutant Bobby Graham. It wasn't always going to be this easy, however, and the second round saw the club face FC Cologne, and the tie was something of a stalemate, with both legs ending 0-0. These were the days before penalty shoot-outs were in use, and a replay was lin Rotterdam also ended in a draw (2-2), so the fixture had to be decided by the purest lottery imaginable - the toss of a coin. Liverpool captain Ron Yeats picked tails, and at the second attempt, the coin having first stuck in a divot, his prediction proved correct, and Liverpool were through.

The European Cup was a much smaller competition in those days, and so Liverpool were already in the semi-final, to face Inter Milan. Both legs of the tie were played after Liverpool's domestic season had finished, and after parading the recently won FA Cup to the Anfield crowd, Liverpool won the first-leg 3-1, after a superb performance, cheered on by a vociferous crowd. However, the return leg saw Inter overturn the defecit, winning 3-0, with Liverpool feeling aggrieved after some contentious referring decisions, including one player scoring after kicking the ball out of Liverpool 'keeper Tommy Lawrence's hands, and another player scoring with an indirect free kick. Inter went on to win the competition, and Liverpool were left to rue what might have been.

1965-66
Cup Winners' Cup - Runner-up

As FA Cup holders, Liverpool entered the Cup Winners' Cup, and this season saw the club reach its first European final. The campaign began with a difficult tie, a return to Italy to place Juventus. Liverpool lost the first leg 1-0, but won 2-0 in the return at Anfield to progress to the next round. Liverpool then beat Standard Liege and Honved, before facing an all-British tie against Celtic in the semi-final. Celtic won 1-0 in the first leg at Celtic Park, but in a mirror of the first-round, Liverpool turned the tie around at Anfield, winning 2-0 with two goals in seven minutes from Tommy Smith and Geoff Strong seeing them through to the final. The final saw a return to Scotland, this time Hampden Park, to face Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund took a 1-0 lead through Sigfried Held, but Liverpool equalised through Roger Hunt to force extra-time. The match was decided in the second half of extra-time, through an own goal by Ron Yeats. Yeats was chasing a Reinhard Libuda shot in order to clear it off the line, but it hit the post and rebounded off Yeats into the net, with goalkeeper Lawrence stranded. Liverpool could not equalise and so Dortmund won the cup. Liverpool would never win the (now defunct) Cup Winners' Cup, and this season was as close as they came.

1966-67
European Cup - Round 2

English champions again, Liverpool were back in the European Cup, but after the relative successes of the first two seasons, this season proved to be a disappointment. In round one, Liverpool face Romanian side Petrolul Ploiesti, winning the first leg 2-0, but going down 3-1 away from home. The away goals rule hadn't yet been introduced, so a replay was played at Heysel, which Liverpool duly won 2-0. Up in the next round was Ajax, and Liverpool, who had already established themselves a reasonable pedigree in Europe, had reason to be confident before the tie, but they were destroyed 5-1 by a team led a 19-year old Johan Cruijff, in a game played in thick fog. The return at Anfield ended 0-0, and Liverpool's European campaign was over before Christmas.

1967-68
Fairs Cup - Round 3

Liverpool had finished fifth the previous season, so for the first time they would play in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. In the first round, Malmo FF were beaten home and away, before 1860 Munich were up in round two. Liverpool hammered the German side 8-0 in the first leg, with 1860 gaining some consolation by winning the second leg 2-1. The third round was to be the end of the road, though, Hungarian side Ferencvaros beating Liverpool 1-0 home and away, in doing so inflicting the club's first European home defeat.

1968-69
Fairs Cup - Round 1

Liverpool's second Fairs Cup campaign was a brief one. They drew Spanish side Athletic Bilbao, and lost the first leg 2-1 at San Mamés. Athletic took a 1-0 lead at Anfield, but Liverpool levelled the tie with two late goals by Chris Lawler and Emlyn Hughes. Extra time couldn't split the teams, and there was to be no replay, so Liverpool faced, for the second time, a game decided by a coin toss. This time, however, Liverpool didn't win, and Athletic were through to the next round. This was to be the last time the toss of a coin was used to decide a European match.

1969-70
Fairs Cup - Round 2

For the third consecutive season, Liverpool were in the Fairs Cup, and their campaign began with a tie against Irish side Dundalk. Alun Evans scored in the first minute of the first leg, and this set the tone, with the Reds winning 10-0 on the night, and 14-0 overall. They were brought back down to earth in the second round, losing 1-0 away to Vitoria Setubal, and worse was to come in the second leg, as the Portuguese side went 2-0 up. Liverpool mounted a dramatic comeback, with a Tommy Smith penalty, and two goals in the last three minutes by Alun Evans and Roger Hunt levelling the tie at 3-3, but the away goals rule - newly introduced this season - saw Vitoria through to round three.

1970-71
Fairs Cup - Semi-final

Liverpool's squad had been somewhat regenerated in the early 1970s, and the in the 1970/71 Fairs Cup the new team achieved the club's longest run in Europe for five years. The first leg saw the reds face Ferencvaros, who had knocked them out of the same competition four years earlier. The reds won through this time, though, taking a 1-0 lead to Hungary for the second leg, and successfully defending it, drawing 1-1 to go through. Dinamo Bucharest were dispatched in round two, followed by Hibernian, another Anglo-Scottish tie, which was settled by only one goal, scored by John Toshack in the first leg at Anfield. This saw Liverpool through to the quarter-final, where they would face German giants Bayern Munich. This was the German team of Beckenbauer, Müller, Maier and co, who would in a few years win three consecutive European Cups. The first leg was at Anfield, and Liverpool put in a superb performance, Alun Evans in particular, who scored a hatrick to seal a 3-0 win. Liverpool defended this lead in the second leg in Munich, with Ian Ross - who had marked Franz Beckenbauer out of the game - scoring to kill off the tie, before Bayern hit back to make the aggregate score 4-1, as it finished. This set up a semi-final with Leeds United, the reds' first all-English European tie. As with Hibernian earlier in the season, the tie was tight, and settled by only one goal - scored by Billy Bremner in the Anfield first leg. Liverpool couldn't overcome the deficit, and Leeds went on to win the trophy.

1971-72
Cup Winners' Cup - Round 2

Although Liverpool had lost the 1971 FA Cup Final, Arsenal's double win meant that Liverpool were entered into the Cup Winners' Cup, but their second attempt at this competition proved unsuccessful. The first round saw a trip to Switzerland to play Servette, which proved to be a tricky tie, with the reds losing 2-1 in Geneva, but winning through after goals from Emlyn Hughes and Steve Heighway in a 2-0 win at Anfield. Next up was Bayern Munich, less than a year after Liverpool had knocked them out of the Fairs Cup, but this time Bayern got their revenge, drawing 0-0 in Liverpool then winning 3-1 at home, with Alun Evans, who had been the hero of last year's tie, getting the reds' goal, and earning the German goal of the month award in the process.

1972-73
UEFA Cup - Winners

The Fairs Cup was renamed the UEFA Cup in 1971, and it was to this competition that Liverpool returned in 1972-73, having finished third the previous season. The campaign began as it ended, against German opposition, with Eintracht Frankfurt beaten 2-0 on aggregate. AEK Athens were comfortably beaten 6-1 on in round 2, before another trip to Germany - this time East Germany - in a fixture with Dynamo Berlin. Liverpool drew 0-0 in Berlin, but won the second leg convincingly, Phil Boersma scoring in the first minute to out the reds on their way to a 3-1 win. East Germany's other Dynamo, Dresden, awaited in the quarter-finals, and they fared no better than their Berlin rivals, losing 2-0 at Anfield before a Kevin Keegan goal finished the tie in Dresden. Just as two seasons ago, the semi-finals produced an all English tie, this time against UEFA Cup holders Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool gained an early lead in the first-leg, Alec Lindsay's goal separating the teams at Anfield, and defending that lead in the second leg proved tricky. Martin Peters levelled the tie in the second half before Steve Heighway restored Liverpool's advantage. Peters scored again, and the tie ended 2-2, Liverpool's away goal seeing them through to their second European final.

As with their first final, Liverpool faced a German Borussia, this time Mönchengladbach, their fourth German opponent of the season. The UEFA Cup final was a two-legged afair in those days, and Liverpool were at home first. However, the first leg had to be abandoned after thirty minutes, due to heavy rain, to be played the next day. This brief preview allowed Bill Shankly to make a tactical change, swapping John Toshack in for Brian Hall, having seen the German side struggle with crosses. This proved to be a masterstroke, as Liverpool won 3-0, with the Keegan/Toshack partnership giving the Gladbach defenders a torrid evening. Also key was Ray Clemence's save from Jupp Heynckes' penalty, denying Borussia a crucial away goal in their attempts to comeback. Even at 3-0 down, Mönchengladbach were still dangerous, and they began the second leg with two early goals coming from Heynckes. A lesser team could have crumbled, but Liverpool held on and Gladbach were held back, with the aggregate score finishing 3-2 to Liverpool, and the reds lifting their first European trophy.

1973-74
European Cup - Round 2

In addition to their European success, Liverpool had won the League Championship and so were back in the European Cup after a seven year absence. However, the campaign proved to be a huge disappointment. Liverpool drew Jeunesse Esch in the first round, but made hard work of defeating the Luxembourg minnows, drawing 1-1 away from home, and needing a 47th minute own goal to take the lead at Anfield, ultimately winning the match 2-0. Red Star Belgrade awaited in the next round, and although Liverpool lost the first leg 2-1, their away goal (scored by Chris Lawler) but them in a good position for the return leg. But Red Star matched the result at Anfield, going 2-0 up before Chris Lawler scored his second goal of the tie, this time a mere consolation. This was to be Bill Shankly's last European tie as manager, and Europe's greatest prize was to elude him. However, he set the foundations for Liverpool's future wins, none of which would have occured had he not come to the club.

1974-75
Cup-Winners' Cup - Round 2

Liverpool's had won the FA Cup, so the club's first European campaign without Shankly was to be in the Cup Winners' Cup. New manager Bob Paisley's first European match was at home to Strømsgodset of Norway, and he got off to a spectacular start, with Liverpool winning 11-0, which remains the club's record victory. All ten outfield players got on the scoresheet, with Phil Boersma the only player to score twice. The rest of the season could not live up to this, and after a 1-0 win in Norway, Liverpool were to face their old friends from Ferencvaros. As the Anfield first-leg drew to a close, Liverpool looked to have secured a 1-0 win, but the Hungarians hit a last-minute equaliser which was to prove vital. The second leg ended in 0-0 stalemate, and Fercencvaros's away goal was enough to see them through. Paisley's European career had got off to a fairly inauspicious start, with no hint to the success that would follow.

1975-76
UEFA Cup - Winners

As English runners-up, Liverpool were back in the UEFA Cup, and their first match in the competition was a trip to Edinburgh to face Hibernian. Liverpool lost the first leg 1-0, with Ray Clemence crucially saving a John Brownlie penalty late in the game. Liverpool turned the tie around in the second leg, a hatrick of headers from John Toshack securing a 3-1 win. Had Brownlie converted his penalty at Easter Road, the aggregate score would have been 3-3, and Hibs would have gone through. Round two was more comfortable, perhaps surprisingly, as Liverpool faced Spanish side Real Sociedad. The tie ended 9-1 on aggregate, with Liverpool winning 3-1 in San Sebastian then 6-0 at home. Polish opponents Slask Wroclaw were beaten in round three, Liverpool winning 2-0 away in the freezing cold to set up a comfortable home leg, which they won 3-0 with a Jimmy Case hatrick. The fourth round proved tricker - facing Dynamo Dresden, Liverpool earned a hard-fought draw away from home, beforre taking an early 2-0 lead in the home leg. But Dynamo struck late on, causing a tense last few minutes which Liverpool were able to survive and see their way to the semi-final. Another trip to Spain awaited in the semi-final, but this was to be much tougher, as the reds were facing the giants of Barcelona, a team featuring their tormentor of eight years ago, Johann Cruijff. Liverpool put in a superb defensive performance at the Camp Nou, and John Toshack scored the only goal to give the reds a slender lead to take back to Anfield. The second leg was equally tight, but when Phil Thompson scored in the 50th minute, the tie looked to have been won. However, just as Dynamo Dresden had, Barcelona gave Liverpool a nervous last few minutes with Carles Rexach's late goal. However, just as in the quarter-final, Liverpool were through to their second UEFA Cup final.

The final was to be against Club Bruges, with the home leg to be played at Anfield. The final started in the worst way imaginable for the reds with Bruges going in 2-0 up at half-time, having been gifted an early goal by a Phil Neal error, and then following it up almost immediately. Liverpool were used to adversity however, and after a master substitution by Paisley - bringing on Jimmy Case for John Toshack - Liverpool, helped by a superb atmosphere, turned the tie around with three goals in five minutes, the second coming from Case. Liverpool were in a dangerous position, having conceded two away goals, but this was overshadowed by the relief at being in front. In between the first and second legs, Liverpool had secured their ninth league title, and they began the defence of their lead in buoyant mood, but suffered an early set-back when Bruges were awared a penalty, which they duly converted. But Liverpool hit back immediately, Kevin Keegan scoring from a free-kick, and they managed to hold their lead from there on, despite gowing pressure from Bruges, and some heart-in-the-mouth moments. A second UEFA Cup win in four years had been secured.

1976-77
European Cup - Winners

And so to another tilt at Europe's greatest prize. In the first round, Liverpool faced their first match against Northern Irish opposition, with the visit of Crusaders. The Irish side put up a good fight at Anfield, and it required a questionable Phil Neal penalty, and a goal from John Toshack to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead. The second leg was never in doubt, and Liverpool won 5-0 in Belfast, with four of the goals coming in the last ten minutes. Another new country presented itself in the second round, this time Turkey, in the form of Trabzonspor. Liverpool struggled with difficult conditions in the first (away) leg, and went home with a 1-0 deficit, now having been the victims of a poor penalty decision. This made the return leg a difficult prospect, with Trabzon being cheered on by members of the local Turkish comminity, but by the 20th minute, Liverpool were 3-0 up, and the tie was won.

In the quarter-final, the reds were due to face Saint-Etienne, last year's losing finalists, and one of the best teams in Europe at the time. Again, the first leg was away from home, and again Liverpool came away with a 1-0 deficit, a tight game in front of a hostile crowd having been settled by a late Dominique Bathenay goal. The stage was then set for one of Liverpool's most memorable European nights. Liverpool attempted to mount a comeback in front of a sell-out crowd, including a large number of travelling fans, and after only two minutes the tie had been levelled - Kevin Keegan scoring from a shot that was intended as a cross. Les Verts started to pile on the pressure, and it eventually paid off when Bathenay restored their lead with a superb strike. Liverpool struck back through Ray Kennedy's goal, but Saint-Etienne now had the away goals advantage. It was time for David Fairclough's finest hour. The young striker had already earned a reputation as a supersub, and with Liverpool struggling to break the French side down, he was thrown on with sixteen minutes to go. Ten minutes later, his moment came - he ran onto a Kennedy through-ball, brushed aside a defender, and finished superbly past 'keeper Ivan Curkovic. Wild celebrations ensued as Liverpool had scored the goal that would see them through to the semi-final.

After the drama of Saint-Etienne, the semi-final proved to be fairly straightforward. Liverpool had got the more favourable draw, avoiding Mönchengladbach and Dinamo Kiev in being paired with Swiss side FC Zurich. The tie was almost won in the first leg, Liverpool winning 3-1 at the Letzigrund, and a 3-0 win at Anfield secured Liverpool's place in their first ever European Cup final, against their old foes Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Liverpool went to the Stadio Olimpico, in Rome, having secured another league title, but had suffered disappointment in the FA Cup Final four days earlier - a defeat against Manchester United had ended their hopes winning the treble. This disappointment did not show, though, and the reds dominated early proceedings, taking a lead in the 24th minute, through Terry McDermott. Liverpool went in 1-0 up at half-time, but Borussia hit back, Allan Simonsen capitalising on a Jimmy Case mistake to equalise. This led to a period of pressure from the German team, but Liverpool were able to weather it, with Ray Clemence in fine form, and in the 64th minute Liverpool's lead was restored via a Tommy Smith header. Liverpool wrapped up the victory through Phil Neal's penalty - the competition ending as it had began - and for the first time, Liverpool were European Champions, making Bob Paisley the first manager to win the UEFA Cup and European Cup in successive seasons.