FLASHBACK The quarterfinals of the Champions League in 1993 were played in a group format (in two groups). In the first two rounds, Anderlecht had easily overcome Finnish side HJK and Czech team Sparta Prague. In the first match of the quarterfinals, the Brussels club held the eventual champions AC Milan to a 0-0 draw.
Anderlecht then seemed to be in a golden position in Bremen, taking a 0-3 lead after just half an hour of football thanks to Albert and two goals from Boffin. Anderlecht dominated the match; there was nothing to worry about at halftime.
However, the Germans did not give up, and in the 66th minute, Rufer made it 1-3. In the pouring rain, Anderlecht suddenly started to retreat, and then things went quickly. In less than 20 minutes, the Germans scored four more times. Especially the last ten minutes were too much to handle, as the score went from 2-3 to 5-3: Bratseth, Hobsch, Bode, and Rufer all found the net.
Anderlecht would never recover from that blow. They also lost at home to Bremen. Against Milan, they drew twice, and against Porto, they lost once and won once. The Belgian champions were ultimately eliminated at this stage of the tournament, finishing last in their group. At the time, coach Boskamp was frustrated after the match. He had shouted hoarsely from the sidelines in vain.
Even more than 20 years later, as a television commentator, he was still upset about the thrashing when Anderlecht faced Bremen again. Those encounters also resulted in two losses...
Source: © Internal source
In a flashback article, we look back in time at an important event for the club or a former player.
