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August 25, 1999. The Stade des Charmilles, then home of Servette, fills up. With a win over Sturm Graz, Servette will play in the group stage of the Champions League – and, as will become clear later in the draw, in the same group as treble winners Manchester United and Olympique Marseille.
In the first leg, the Grenaten lost 2-1 at the Austrian champions. With the away goals rule, which still applies at that time, a 1-0 win for Servette is enough to reach the premier class.
“I remember a frame with huge expectations,” explains Léonard Thurre. The Vaudois striker just moved to the end of Lake Geneva that summer for the ‘great goal’ of the premier class. And Sturm Graz is seen as a viable draw after the draw.
Despite leadership, it was not enough
“It was rare for a Swiss team to qualify,” recalled fellow striker Alexandre Rey (50). “I remember how exciting it was in the packed stadium,” says Léonard Thurre. The Stade des Charmilles is quite small compared to the Stade de Geneve – but a cauldron. “There was a great atmosphere, with smoke bombs… but that wasn’t enough.”
Despite the lead, Servette does not get further than 2:2 in the second leg. Thurre: “We failed to bring momentum into play and leverage the momentum.”
The Austrians equalize four minutes after the Servette goal and then even take the lead. According to Rey, Thurre’s late equalizer is only “anecdotal”.
“It was a big disappointment”
Even 24 years later, both strikers mourn this game. Rey repeats several times: “It was a great disillusionment. We were at the gates of the Champions League and the enthusiasm for it was extraordinary.”
Thurre shares his memory: “That hurt us for the rest of the season.”
This year has come a long way
Servette is further away from the Champions League this year. The Geneva side must survive three rounds – the first of which is against Genk – to qualify for Europe’s most prestigious competition.
“This game is going to be very interesting,” says Rey. “And you have to praise Alain’s work (Geiger, editor’s note). They work with continuity and I like that. You can achieve great things that way.” Thurre also expects an exciting but difficult match: “Belgian teams are not the easiest.”
The decor in Geneva has changed for the game against Genk. No more Charmilles, but the Stade de Geneve. And Servette will hope that the result will be different from 24 years ago.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
