FLASHBACK Anderlecht drew 0-0 against PSV in the second round of the last edition of the European Cup I in 1991. The return match at the Astridpark brought a 2-0 victory on 6th November 1991. Afterwards, a group stage followed as the quarterfinals.
Anderlecht would finish third after Sampdoria Genoa and Red Star Belgrade (but ahead of Panathinaikos). They were therefore eliminated.
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Continue reading But in that second round, Marc Degryse scored a very beautiful goal. The midfielder took off with the ball from his own half after seven minutes and struck low into the far corner from long distance: 1-0. Shortly before the final whistle, the speedy Boffin finished off a nicely played counterattack: 2-0. At that time, players like Gert Verheyen, Luc Nilis, and Luis Oliveira also had a place in the team. Degryse would play an important role in the next round as well when he, together with Luc Nilis, led Anderlecht past Sampdoria Genoa (from 0-2 to 3-2).
Marc Degryse was the engine of Anderlecht at that time. A year earlier, Degryse had already reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup with Anderlecht. Coach Aad de Mos had brought Degryse from Club Brugge to Anderlecht in 1989. But it was especially under Johan Boskamp that Degryse really became important. The Dutch coach also made “the little one” (as Boskamp called him) captain. In the purple shirt, he would play 170 matches and score 60 goals. He also earned 63 caps for Belgium and scored 23 goals for the Red Devils. In 1995, he moved to Sheffield Wednesday and later played for PSV, Gent, and Beerschot.
Danny Boffin began his career at STVV and moved to Anderlecht in 1991. At that time, he was playing for Standard Liège and, together with teammates Jean-François De Sart and Jean-Marie Houben, secured a transfer to the record champions where he would play until 1997. He appeared in 187 matches and scored 30 times. Boffin played on both the left and right flanks and was notorious for his speed. He was often called “the moped” or “mobylette.” Boffin was important for Anderlecht and, for example, scored twice in the Champions League against Werder Bremen, but Anderlecht gave up a 0-3 lead at that time (the final score was 5-3).
