3 July 1947 - Rensenbrink On The Rise

On 3 July 1947, forward Rob Rensenbrink was born in Amsterdam. He went on to star for Anderlecht and the Netherlands, winning the 1976 Onze d'Or.

He started his career in 1965 as an amateur with his hometown club DWS, then signed a professional contract with Brugge in 1969. In two seasons there, he scored 24 goals in 55 league appearances and won his first silverware, the 1970 Belgian Cup, before moving to Anderlecht in 1971. At Anderlecht, he continued the success that began in Brugge, winning four more Belgian Cups (1972, 1973, 1975, 1976) and two league titles (1972, 1974). He also enjoyed European success, twice winning both the Cup Winners' Cup (1976, 1978) and the UEFA Super Cup (1976, 1978). In 1976, he won the inaugural Onze d'Or, chosen by the readers of French magazine Onze Mondial.

He earned his first cap for the Netherlands in 1968, but labored under the shadow of Johan Cruyff, who played in Rensenbrink's preferred left forward position. To accommodate both of them, coach Rinus Michels played Rensenbrink on the left wing for the 1974 World Cup with the Netherlands finishing as runners-up to West Germany.

By 1978, Cruyff had retired, so Rensenbrink moved up to the now-vacant forward spot. The Dutch again advanced to the final, where Rensenbrink nearly gave them the win--in the last few seconds, with the match level, he fired from a narrow angle and just missed the goal, instead striking the post. Argentina went on to win the match in extra time.

He retired in 1982 after brief spells with the Portland Timbers (1980) and Toulouse (1981-82).

24 March 1965 - The Curse Of The Coin Toss

On 24 March 1965, Liverpool and Köln, having already drawn 0-0 over two legs in the European Cup quarterfinals, played a rematch in Rotterdam. As with the 1957 World Cup qualifying rematch between Spain and Turkey, the European Cup tie came down to a coin toss.

In fact, the 1964-65 European Cup competition was rife with outcomes decided by the flip of a coin. Both Anderlecht and Dukla Prague needed one to advance out of the preliminary round after scoreless playoff matches against Bologna and Górnik Zabrze, respectively. In a bit of foreshadowing for Liverpool, both teams were eliminated in the next round - Dukla Prague by Real Madrid and Anderlecht by Liverpool themselves to set up the quarterfinal matchup against Köln.

The first two matches, played in Cologne on 10 February and in Liverpool on 17 March, ended as scoreless draws, requiring a replay at a neutral ground. The teams met in Rotterdam on 24 March and Liverpool jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals from forwards Ian St. John (20) and Roger Hunt (37). Given the teams' inability to score in the first two legs, the lead was as improbable as it was seemingly insurmountable.

But the Germans were undaunted and wasted little time in pulling themselves level. One minute after Hunt's goal, striker Karl-Heinz Thielen cut Liverpool's lead in half, then, three minutes into the second half, his fellow striker Hannes Löhr netted the equalizer. That would be the last goal of the match, as the teams finished 2-2. To break the deadlock, the rules at the time called for a coin toss, which Liverpool won. Their reward was a semifinal meeting with Cup holders Inter, who eliminated the English side by an aggregate score of 3-4 on their way to their second consecutive European Cup trophy.

4 January 1920 - First Blood In The Battle Of Belgium

On 4 January 1920, Standard Liège claimed the first victory in their rivalry with Anderlecht with a 1-0 Belgian second division win in Brussels. It was the second meeting of the two sides, with the first ending in a 2-2 draw on 19 October 1919 in Liège.

The rivalry is the most popular in Belgium, with the country divided between Les Rouches of Liège and Les Mauves of Anderlecht. Since that first loss, Anderlecht have been the more successful side. Of their 163 meetings, Anderlecht has won 74 and Liège 46, with 43 draws.

The disparity is even more pronounced away from the derby, with Les Mauves winning 29 Belgian First Division titles, 9 Belgian Cups, and 8 Belgian Super Cups. They have also had success in Europe with 2 Cup Winners' Cups, one UEFA Cup, and two European Super Cups.

Liège have won fewer honors, with 10 First Division titles, but have won the league the last two seasons. They have also won 5 Belgian Cups, 4 Belgian Super Cups, and one Cup Winners' Cup.

The next match will be played in Liège on 16 January.