Alright, today I felt like digging into the history between Liverpool F.C. and LOSC Lille. It’s not a fixture you hear about every season, so I thought I’d take a walk down memory lane, see what actually happened when these two crossed paths.
So, I started racking my brain first. I seemed to remember a European tie, not Champions League though. Felt more like Europa League, maybe? Had to confirm that.
Checking the Records
I pulled up some old records I keep, well, more like I just searched around a bit online, let’s be honest. Found it pretty quickly. It was indeed the UEFA Europa League, way back in the 2009-2010 season. Felt like ages ago now.
It was a Round of 16 tie. Two legs, obviously. Here’s what I pieced together from that time:
- First Leg: This one was played over in France, at Lille’s ground. I remember Lille being quite decent back then, they had some tricky players. And yeah, looking back, Lille actually won that first game 1-0. Eden Hazard scored, remember him? What a player he became. It was a bit of a nervy game for Liverpool fans, that’s for sure.
- Second Leg: This was back at Anfield. You always fancy Liverpool at home in Europe, right? The atmosphere does things. I definitely watched this one. It needed a turnaround.
The Anfield Comeback
And turn it around they did. I recall Steven Gerrard being massive, as usual. He scored a penalty pretty early on, which settled the nerves a bit. Then Fernando Torres, who was on fire back then before all the injuries, bagged two goals. What a striker he was in his prime at Liverpool.
The final score at Anfield was 3-0. That meant Liverpool went through 3-1 on aggregate. Classic Anfield European night, really. They overturned the deficit from the first leg.
So, my process was basically:
- Had a vague memory of the fixture.
- Tried to place the competition and year.
- Did a quick check to confirm the details (Europa League 2009-10, Round of 16).
- Recalled the key moments – Hazard scoring in France, the Anfield comeback, Gerrard’s penalty, Torres’ goals.
- Confirmed the aggregate score.
It wasn’t a long history between them, just that one tie in recent memory, but it was a proper European knockout game. Lille gave a good account of themselves, especially in that first leg, but Anfield worked its magic again in the return. Good stuff remembering that one.
