YNWA takes a look back at our previous trips to Belgium as we prepare to visit Standard de Liège on Wednesday evening in the first leg of our Champions League qualifier.

Previously against les Rouches
We beat Standard de Liège 2-1 in the European Cup Winners' Cup in December 1965 to progress to the Second Round, 5-2 on aggregate. Roger Hunt and Ian St. John netted for the reds. We went all the way to the Final that season, our only appearance in the showpiece of that competition.

Our most recent visit
Djibril Cissé grabbed the only goal of the game as we won at RSC Anderlecht in a Champions League group game in October 2005.

A black day
If April 15th is the saddest day in the club's history, May 29th 1985 is surely the lowest when 39 football fans died at the Heysel stadium in Brussels before our European Cup Final against Juventus. Although many factors contributed to the tragedy, it is inescapable that violence by reds fans played a major role in the deaths of 32 Italians, four Belgians, two Frenchmen and one man from Northern Ireland.

The match eventually kicked off late, and was played in a surreal atmosphere, with the reds losing Mark Lawrenson to injury after just two minutes, and then Paul Walsh before half-time. A Michel Platini penalty was the only score, converted after Zbigniew Boniek was brought down by Gary Gillespie outside the box. This was Joe Fagan's final game in charge and remains our only first-class game on that day in history.

A final victory
We claimed the UEFA Cup for the second time in May 1976, as we drew 1-1 at Club Brugge to triumph 4-3 on aggregate. Kevin Keegan equalised just five minutes after Raoul Lambert's penalty had put the Belgians ahead.

Not such a super meeting
RSC Anderlecht won 3-1 in the first leg of the UEFA Super Cup at the Stade Émile Versé in December 1978, with Jimmy Case nabbing our consolation. We won the return leg 2-1 at Anfield two weeks later, but we could not retain the trophy, losing 4-3 on aggregate.

Anderlecht again
We won 1-0 at Belgian champions RSC Anderlecht in November 1964, with Roger Hunt on target in the final minute as we reached the last eight of the European Cup 4-0 on aggregate. We progressed as far as the Semi-final in our first ever season in European competition, where we lost to Internazionale in controversial circumstances.

Also in Belgium
In October 1966, we defeated Romanian champions Petrolul Ploieşti 2-0 in a European Cup First Round replay at Parc Astrid in Brussels, when Ian St. John and Peter Thompson netted to take us through.

We have also played four friendlies in Belgium, with the earliest coming in May 1950 when we drew 1-1 at RSC Anderlecht, with Billy Liddell on target. We held them to a goalless draw at their Stade Émile Versé in August 1973. We also visited them at their new Constant Vanden Stock Stadion seven years later, as we were beaten 4-3. David Fairclough grabbed a brace with Terry McDermott also netting.

We took part in a match to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of Belgians Sporting Charleroi in August 1984. Unfortunately, we somewhat spoiled the party by thumping the home side 6-0, thanks to goals from Ian Rush, Michael Robinson, Gary Gillespie, John Wark, Steve Nicol and Ronnie Whelan.