What happened when Liverpool played a Champions League game the night of the 9/11 terrorist attacks – Liverpool Echo

It was a game long awaited by Liverpool fans, a return to the highest level of European football for the first time in over 16 years.

Yet when the Reds bowed out in the Champions League proper, there were nearly 15,000 empty seats at Anfield.

It was not a famous European night.

But historians thinking of such curiosity would be well served by taking a look at the date of this opening group match against Boavista.

September 11, 2001.

Exactly 20 years ago today, Liverpool made their first appearance in the new European Cup just hours after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York.

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It was an uncertain and troubling time, with much of the Western world concerned about the potential ramifications and subsequent threats.

And, certainly, there was a significant number of supporters – those who already had tickets and others planning to pay at the door – who chose to stay home and watch the breaking breaking news on TV. .

The attendance of 30,015 spectators must be put in context, however, with the second home group game against Dynamo Kiev a month later drawing only 33,513 spectators.

But Boavista’s crowd was smaller than the 31,000-plus who watched the August play-off second leg against Haka where Liverpool were already leading 5-0. Ignoring games played behind closed doors, it remains the weakest crowd for a Champions League game at Anfield.

Those who showed up hardly got a classic.

In an unsurprisingly surreal and subdued atmosphere, Liverpool fell behind in the second minute when they failed to clear a long ball from Boavista keeper Ricardo, and Elpidio Silva shot at home after exchanging passes with Alexandre Goulart.

The Reds equalized just before the half-hour mark when Michael Owen put in a fine effort in the skylight after being found by Steven Gerrard.

But other than a save from Jerzy Dudek – only making his second appearance after signing with Feyenoord – and a few half chances for Owen, that was about it.

Not that Boavista coach Jaime Pacheco was too happy, claiming Liverpool had “saved” their players despite the Portuguese side having collected seven of the game’s eight bookings.

“I came to Liverpool to play football, not rugby,” Pacheco said. “Our players are less physical, less talented and they were wild.

“The referee appeared to be on Liverpool’s side.”

Houllier, however, did not want it.

“When we played for Rome and Barcelona last season, we were never accused of being too physical,” he said. “The requirements of this competition are for you to be strong and physical – that’s what we were.”

The reality is, however, that the match shouldn’t have been played, UEFA finally understood the meaning the next morning and canceled the last European matches of the week out of respect for the victims of September 11 and in the light persistent security concerns around the world. .

Liverpool eventually advanced in the squad thanks to a home win on the final matchday against Borussia Dortmund, before doing the same against Roma in the often-overlooked second group stage.

A shock 4-2 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg quarter-final – where Liverpool were less than six minutes from progress – ultimately marked a turning point under Houllier, who had not returned to the dugout for a long time after being absent for five months after undergoing vital heart surgery.

Boavista? They were eliminated in the second group stage and have failed to qualify for Europe since reaching the UEFA Cup semi-final the following season.

The triumph of the Portuguese league which earned them their place in history against Liverpool remains their only national title.

And if they show up at Anfield in the Champions League again, maybe they can expect to do so in front of a bigger crowd.