THE 1980-81 season culminated in our third European Cup triumph in four years, cementing a poignant era in Liverpool Football Club's illustrious history.
Having slaughtered Finnish part-timers Oulu Palloseura 11-2 on aggregate, comfortably outclassing future nemesis Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen and cruising past CSKA Sofia, the Reds faced a tough semi-final against German giants Bayern Munich.
After a goalless first leg at Anfield, an injury ravaged Liverpool team grabbed a 1-1 draw in Munich and secured a trip to the Parc des Princes, thanks to Ray Kennedy's infamous away goal.
That was the defining moment of the European adventure and remains one of my most memorable moments from when I was a young fan.
The final was set to be a momentous occasion, a showdown between two of football's most successful and famous clubs.
The stage was set for a titanic battle as we mirrored thousands of households across Merseyside and indeed the world, in gathering in front of our television sets in anticipation. And yet, the game as a spectacle was a complete disappointment.
The end-to-end display of total football did not materialise and the players on both sides produced cautious displays, unsurprising in hindsight, given the magnitude of the match.
After an ultimately uninspiring 80 minutes, Liverpool finally manufactured an opportunity for the unlikely figure of Alan Kennedy. The left-back was played in on the left-hand side of the box and struck a superb shot past the keeper to give Liverpool the lead.
The final moments of the game crawled by until, after what seemed like an eternity, the referee blew the final whistle, thus crowning Liverpool as champions of Europe once again.
During the years of our dominance of the Continent I was too young to appreciate that moments like Paris do not happen every year and so as we look forward to Istanbul, 24 years later, I will be in the stadium this time, hoping to savour the moment that the captain of Liverpool raises the European Cup once more.
