Ajax 5 1 Liverpool 1966 67 European Cup The Fog Game Liverpool s heaviest defeat in European Competition
Ajax 5-1 Liverpool, 1966/67 European Cup - The Fog Game & Liverpool’s heaviest defeat in European Competition × Follow Us Create Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Link Approve Reject & ban Delete Log in Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout Football UEFA Champions League 2022-23 Feature
#OnThisDay in 1913, legendary manager Bill Shankly was born. A truly iconic figure who will never be forgotten.121111053He made the people happy #OnThisDay in 1913, legendary manager Bill Shankly was born. A truly iconic figure who will never be forgotten. https://t.co/VvofvCy3nM The Reds had a strong team, led by World Cup Winners Roger Hunt and Ian Callaghan. Their recent performances in Europe - semi-finalists in the 1964-65 and runners-up in the 1965-66 Cup Winners’ Cup, resonated well with the favorites tag going into the competition. 19-year-old Johan Cruyff was a star in the making Like Liverpool, Ajax also qualified for the tournament by winning the league title the season before. Ajax today are synonymous with 'Total Football' and are a hugely successful breeding ground for young talent. Ajax were barely known outside of the Netherlands in 1966. They were yet to make a mark on the European stage as baby-faced 19-year-old Johan Cruyff was just starting to dazzle. Earlier that season, Liverpool had beaten Romanian outfit Petrolul Ploiești 2-0 in a playoff match after the tie ended level at 3-3 after the conclusion of the home and away legs. Ajax, on the other hand, aggregated a 4-1 scoreline against Turkish side Besiktas to qualify for the second round. Liverpool were drawn against Ajax in the second round, with the English side poised to travel to Amsterdam followed by the home leg at Anfield.
Shankly "So I went onto the pitch while the game was in progress and was walking about in the fog. I talked to the players, and walked off again – and the referee never saw me!"19519'De Mistwedstrijd'/ The Fog Match Shankly "So I went onto the pitch while the game was in progress and was walking about in the fog. I talked to the players, and walked off again – and the referee never saw me!" https://t.co/PoRXow0Br0 Realistically, Liverpool’s chances of winning the European Cup had vanished amidst the Amsterdam fog. Despite the humiliation, Shankly was confident of turning the tie around at Anfield when he infamously said: “This tie is by no means over yet. We will win easily. We will smash in at least seven goals. This was ridiculous. Ajax played defensive football on their own ground. We never play well against defensive teams."
De Mistwedstrijd Ajax 5-1 Liverpool 1966 67 European Cup - The Fog Game & Liverpool s heaviest defeat in European Competition
By Debjyoti Samanta Modified 11 Sep 2022 Follow Us Comment Share Ajax annihilated Liverpool 5-1 in Amsterdam Liverpool will face Ajax in the Champions League next Liverpool’s indifferent start to the current season continued in their away game against Napoli. The Serie A side completely outplayed the Reds 4-1 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Wednesday night. The scoreline could have easily matched or even surpassed their biggest ever defeat in a European competition had Victor Osimhen tucked away his first-half penalty. Recalling their heaviest defeat, Liverpool lost 5-1 to their upcoming Champions League opponents Ajax during their 1966-67 European Cup run. Led by a young and charismatic Johan Cruyff, the Dutch Champions annihilated Bill Shankly’s men at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam on December 7, 1966. The game was famously titled as the ‘De Mistwedstrijd’’ as the game took place in a shroud of thick fog with low visibility and blurred visions.Background
Bill Shankly is regarded as Liverpool's greatest ever manager Liverpool were a team on the rise during the 1960s under the leadership of the legendary Bill Shankly. They harbored realistic expectations of becoming the first British team to win the European Cup during the 1966-67 season. The Reds had qualified for the competition on the back of winning the league title the season before. Liverpool FC@LFCHe made the people happy#OnThisDay in 1913, legendary manager Bill Shankly was born. A truly iconic figure who will never be forgotten.121111053He made the people happy #OnThisDay in 1913, legendary manager Bill Shankly was born. A truly iconic figure who will never be forgotten. https://t.co/VvofvCy3nM The Reds had a strong team, led by World Cup Winners Roger Hunt and Ian Callaghan. Their recent performances in Europe - semi-finalists in the 1964-65 and runners-up in the 1965-66 Cup Winners’ Cup, resonated well with the favorites tag going into the competition. 19-year-old Johan Cruyff was a star in the making Like Liverpool, Ajax also qualified for the tournament by winning the league title the season before. Ajax today are synonymous with 'Total Football' and are a hugely successful breeding ground for young talent. Ajax were barely known outside of the Netherlands in 1966. They were yet to make a mark on the European stage as baby-faced 19-year-old Johan Cruyff was just starting to dazzle. Earlier that season, Liverpool had beaten Romanian outfit Petrolul Ploiești 2-0 in a playoff match after the tie ended level at 3-3 after the conclusion of the home and away legs. Ajax, on the other hand, aggregated a 4-1 scoreline against Turkish side Besiktas to qualify for the second round. Liverpool were drawn against Ajax in the second round, with the English side poised to travel to Amsterdam followed by the home leg at Anfield.
Match Day – De Mistwedstrijd or the Fog Match begins
Ajax blew away favorites Liverpool at the Olympic Stadium The Reds were the clear favorites going into the away leg on December 7, 1966. However, the weather gods had something different in mind. The game almost got canceled as Bill Shankly and his men faced trouble reaching Amsterdam due to the fog and the low visibility it brought with itself. After inspection, Italian referee Antonio Sbardella gave the green light to start the proceedings despite the visibility being just 50 yards. In fact, it was so low that the majority of the 65,000-strong crowd could not see the action. TV commentator Herman Kuiphof was tasked with providing a running commentary from his monitor to the stadium. Kuiphof recalls: “The mist in the day was severe, but the weather forecasters said it would disappear in the evening. But it only got worse. When I sat in my commentary-booth, chairman Van Praag came to ask if I could also give commentary for the fans in the stadium. He was worried that they couldn’t see a thing.” The Reds fell behind as early as the third minute after debutant Cees de Wolf headed past Tommy Lawrence in the Liverpool goal. Teenager Johan Cruyff doubled Ajax’s lead in the 17th minute and by half-time, the Reds were 4-0 down, courtesy of striker Klaas Nuninga’s brace. As can be seen, visibility was very poor The conditions were so bad that at one point in the first half, Liverpool had 12 men on the field as Shankly entered the field of play unnoticed to provide instructions to his players. Shankly mentions this story in his autobiography: “We were 2-0 down and Willie Stevenson and Geoff Strong felt overrun. They got furious and tried to fight their way back into the game. While the game was going on, I walked out onto the field, through the fog, and said to Willie and Geoff: 'Christ, this is only the first game. There's another bloody game in Liverpool, so let's not give away any more goals. Let's keep it 2-0'. Then I left the field again, and the referee never saw me!” The second half saw a spirited display from the Reds as the Dutch side were forced to retreat into their own half and defend in numbers against the growing pressure. As Liverpool threw the kitchen sink, Ajax sprung a swift counter-attack in the 75th minute to extend their lead to 5-0 via Henk Groot. The Reds got a consolation goal in the 89th minute from defender Chris Lawler. The Anfield Wrap@TheAnfieldWrap'De Mistwedstrijd'/ The Fog MatchShankly "So I went onto the pitch while the game was in progress and was walking about in the fog. I talked to the players, and walked off again – and the referee never saw me!"19519'De Mistwedstrijd'/ The Fog Match Shankly "So I went onto the pitch while the game was in progress and was walking about in the fog. I talked to the players, and walked off again – and the referee never saw me!" https://t.co/PoRXow0Br0 Realistically, Liverpool’s chances of winning the European Cup had vanished amidst the Amsterdam fog. Despite the humiliation, Shankly was confident of turning the tie around at Anfield when he infamously said: “This tie is by no means over yet. We will win easily. We will smash in at least seven goals. This was ridiculous. Ajax played defensive football on their own ground. We never play well against defensive teams."