Just in case. All commentators today seem to agree that Liverpool losing at home to Standard Liege would be Liverpool's "most disastrous/calamitous/embarrassing" defeat of all time in Europe.

I'm not actually that sure.

Here are a few others.

1966-67: Ajax 5-1 Liverpool

The enormity of this defeat doesn't sound so bad, now, but has to be placed in historical context. England were the World Champions; Holland had never so much as sent a team to the World Cup finals, and Liverpool themselves, English champions, had been runners-up in the Cup-Winners' Cup the year before. Holland's club sides were still described as "semi-professional", and as such, it was a bit of a shock when a postman called Cruyff and a bank clerk called Nuninga engineered a 5-1 drubbing that Liverpool failed to turn round in the second leg.

1967-68 : Liverpool 0-1 Ferencvaros

Liverpool had lost the first leg of this Fairs Cup tie 1-0 in Hungary, but were comfortably expected to win at Anfield. Instead, they lost again, on a snow-bound pitch. Ferencvaros went on to reach the final, which they lost to Leeds.

1978-79: Nottingham Forest 2-0 Liverpool

Huge favourites to win a third successive European Cup, Liverpool lost to a team playing their very first European tie, and were unable to turn it round in the second leg. Forest themselves went on to win the trophy (and retain it), but for several years, Liverpool's "dominance" in Europe was thrown into question across playgrounds Britain by this result, the implication being that any English team of that era would become European champions.

1979-80: Dynamo Tblisi 3-0 Liverpool

Going to Georgia needing just a draw to progress, Liverpool were completely outplayed by the Soviet champions, featuring Shengalia, Chivadze and Gustaev. It was only the second time in almost two years that Liverpool's notoriously stingy defence had conceded 3 goals in any competition - the previous season Ray Clemence had only had to pick the ball out of his net 16 times in 42 league games.

1981-82: CSKA Sofia 2-0 Liverpool

Liverpool were, arguably, cheated out of this one, with some very favourable refereeing towards the home side, but even so, it was a two-legged tie they should have won (they'd beaten the same opponents 6-1 on the way to winning the trophy the year before). Mark Lawrenson's only ever sending off in a Liverpool shirt, for retaliation.

1992-93: Liverpool 2-4 and 0-2 Spartak Moscow

2-2 with ten minutes to go in the first leg away from home, Liverpool slid to an almost comical 4-2 defeat, which could have been 5 or 6. The second leg was almost an act of abject surrender.

1995-96: Liverpool 0-1 Brondby

Definitely the Daddy of them all, imo. The "Spice Boys" team that included James, Collymore, Scales, Babb, Redknapp, Fowler and McManaman were top of the League, and expected to sail through a UEFA Cup campaign that was eventually won by Bayern Munich (Bordeaux were the other finalists, the first time a French club had got that far in 20 years in Europe). Liverpool decided to lose at home - after a 0-0 first leg - to a team from Denmark.

1998-99: Celta Vigo 3-1 Liverpool

In Gerard Houllier's first year in charge on his own, with the world's most exciting young player Michael Owen up front alongside Robbie Fowler, great things were planned. Liverpool had enjoyed a memorable victory over Valencia in the previous round, and Celta were not expected to put up as much of a fight as their more respected countrymen. Not only did
Celta humiliate Liverpool in this game, they came to Anfield and finished the job with a 1-0 win in the second leg.

You forgot Strasbourg 1997/'98 and Genoa 1991/'92

Wasn't that Brondby game during the same tournament that Bayern overcame the might of Raith Rovers? They just talk and talk about that game.

Rogin's obvious double-bluff jinx betrays his rusty early-season form.

I'm liking the breakdown of those past European nights, good stuff! Good knowledge!

my 12/1 bet on the Walloons is looking tidy

QUOTE:
Wasn't that Brondby game during the same tournament that Bayern overcame the might of Raith Rovers? They just talk and talk about that game.

And Slavia getting to the semi-final, only to lose 1-0 home and away to Bordeaux. Some guy called Zidane played very well for them. Too well for Slavia's team of Poborsky, Smicer, Suchoparek, Bejbl, Berger and a few others.

I'm watching this on Sopcast. It's a feed from a Chinese station but with an English commentator. I don't know who he is, but he's Partridge-like in his incompetence.

In the five minutes I've been listening, so far I've heard:

Persistent pronounciation of the Belgian side as "Standard Leege". Nobody says that, do they?

"And there's Roy Keane!"

(Talking about Liverpool selling Torres) "..and of course he's not for sale, but you might do if someone offered you lots of ... er.. ships. Or the moon."

This is great fun.

At the moment, the premise of my original thread is not looking so funny at all.

Rogin left out the Widzew Lodz fiasco of 1983 and the trouncing by Benfica three seasons ago.

Liverpool are very flabby again tonight -- there's nothing coming from Benayoun and Kuyt on the flanks, and Robbie Keane's dying a death.

Standard Liege are again much better than their advance billing suggested. They're hungry as hell, fighting for every ball. Dalmat on the right flank looks a really good player.

I tuned in just in time to see Gerrard kick one out of the park.

There was also FC Basel about six years ago.

No doubt Stevie G will turn up to the game in the 90th minute to thump one in, and be hailed a footballing genius.

Kuyt and Benayoun manning the wings, what remarkable balance in this side. Has the Riera deal been made, or is Mad Rafa going to make a late bid for James Milner?

Standard are the better side, just like in the first leg. And their fans are winning the singing battle too. With a team of second rate Brazilians and unkonwn Belgians and Africans, just like an OTFer said before the first leg.
But Liverpool have Dirk Kuyt and Robbie Keane. This is class.

Surely Torres had to score there...

Brann Bergen have equalised at the Velodrome -- if they get one more, Marseille are going out.

Olympiakos are still only beating Anorthosis 1-0, and Schalke have about ten minutes to find a goal in Madrid.