(Europa League qualifier, aggregate 6-2)
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| Liège-Guillemins railway station, grand by any scale |
1st up on this tour is Standard Liège. Hopefully it's 2nd time lucky, since the last time I visited I couldn't get in - a little dispiriting when you've walked 3 miles+. And despite the previous experience, I still can't find a bus and slog it the aforementioned distance to Schlessin in 29°c heat. I know it was 29, cos I read it on some digital display somewhere on my walk. I ambled along, too exhausted from carrying my backpack earlier. This, despite a 7pm KO. I'd be late.
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| Finally, after that walk... |
'cept, no I wouldn't. As I neared the stadium, the sight of Standard fans milling around told me the match was far from starting - hurrah! Si I bought a small can of Jupiler from a shop (everyone else was having a can of beer) and looked about getting me a match ticket. The main ticket booths simply looked like pandemonium, so I went to the other side of the ground where I knew other booths lay. More pandemonium, though in some orderly fashion. Why don't Standard put in some barriers to help form a queueing system?
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| Techno techno techno techno! (speakers facing out of window) |
Still, at €5 a ticket, no wonder it was busy. (I knew this in advance, but no, I couldn't book a ticket in advance.) I was slightly worried it might sell out (like last time) but with a 3-1 1st leg lead against Icelandic part-timers (I'm presuming they're part time) why else would everyone be here? I got my ticket.
Back then to the throng of the pub on the corner and its attendant techno. Dozens of fans chatted and drank beer while I taped a foot to 'Internet Friends (VIP)', you know the one that goes 'You blocked me on Facebook. Now you're going to get f***ed off.' Happily, the techno continued into the stadium (as well as the proverbial Eurobeat), the only abomination being the terminally depressing 'We will rock you'. I honestly thought the death of Freddie Mercury would bring the end of this dirge. (One horror memory of this tune was Roker Park, Sunderland, where hundreds of high pitched kids, inconveniently perched next to the away end, would sing along to this pre-match. Awful.)
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| The open corner at the home end |
I still missed kick-off. The plan the ticket office guy showed me was upside down so I walked around most of the stadium to find the correct entrance, about 50 metres from the ticket booth. But this stadium is one to savour: 3 steep sides of triple-decker stands, with gaps left in 2 corners to add a little architectural 'je ne sais quoi'. The 4th side is another large, 2 tiered stand.
For such a non-entity of a game, the atmosphere was bouncing behind the goal. Shame then that I was knackered. The seats were those which tip up for 'safe standing', so, of course, everyone was standing. Let me sit down! Please. It looked the same behind the other goal too, while the side stands were for the sitters. Obligatory drummer and topless cheerleader (male) with loud hailer accompanied by numerous flags. In a bit, I noticed a couple of guys collecting the flags in. Even better - you get to wave them at the match and someone else takes them away for you.
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| Banks of steep seating. |
In the 2nd half, the chanting became much more co-ordinated between either end, while a comfortable home win was polished off with my 1st (last?) Mexican wave of the season. Who cares about the football when you can take turns to wave your arms and chant at people 100 yards away?
The game? The Icelandics were played off the park. 3-1? 4-1? I can't actually remember. I do know Liège were too quick, too skilful...or the Icelandics were too slow, too lumbering. Certainly, a couple of their team looked no fitter than me (!) but were carrying a good 3 or 4 more stones.
In the opening 10 minutes, Liège had 5 shots but the opener didn't come till 25 minutes; Reykjavik stood off the right wing back, who, not believing his good fortune, arrowed a 25 yarder high into the keeper's near post. So, a 25 yarder on 25 minutes.
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| The home end. |
Half-time 1-0. 2-0 was a tap-in on the back post, as was 3-1. The crowd seemed to love whoever this guy was, but there isn't a footballer in the world who would have missed either chance. Inbetween, Gudjon (probably) bundled the ball in with his midriff (ie, penis), to the bewilderment of everybody. I'm not sure how many away fans came (they were in the same stand as me, far to my right) but he saluted the visiting section.
Do I remember Standard getting a 4th? Maybe not. But for one so tired, the perfect fillip came in the form of a (free) bus back to the city centre. 'Centre du ville?' I asked. 'Yes' the driver's mate said. This accent and Grade D GCSE French is fooling nobody.
Attendance: 21,288
The Damage:
€5 ent
€1 can of beer
The Tunes:
Push the Button - Chemical Brothers
Barbed Wire Kisses - Jesus and Mary Chain
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| Stade Maurice Dufrasne AKA Sclessin |
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| The oldest stand. |
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| Sunset over Sclessin. |
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| Standard bearers. |
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| You can actually see half the pitch from here |
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| The towering stands |
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