Belgian football fans had high hopes for RSC Anderlecht in this year's UEFA Champions League. Drawn into a group with Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, and Galatasaray, the Purple and White looked as if they had a great shot at progressing to the knockout phase. After all, Arsenal-while reliably solid in the English Premier League-has never won a UCL title. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund is currently in the midst of their worst season in recent memory. If the wearers of the RSC Anderlecht jersey were ever going to get past the group stage, 2014 2015 would have been the year.
Unfortunately, the Purple and White only won one match in Group D, and ended up in third place behind Dortmund and Arsenal. Now, though, the Belgian squad has a chance to contend in the 2014 2015 UEFA Europa League, and you can root for them today with a new jersey from Soccer Box! Whether you prefer the trademark purple and white home shirt or the vibrant pink Anderlecht away shirt 2014 2015, you can find it here.
The Europa League
RSC Anderlecht has won the Europa League title on one occasion, back during the 1982 1983 season. The tournament was still known as the UEFA Cup back then, and the Belgian soccer squad defeated Portugal's Benfica on a 2-1 aggregate in order to claim it.
Fast forward to now, though, and that tournament title is little more than a distant memory. Year after year, fans in the RSC Anderlecht jersey have been denied the chance to celebrate a big European football title. Sure, the club is still Belgium's top soccer squad-they've won the country's First Division in four of the past five seasons-but some continental glory would be nice.
The 2014 2015 Season
That search for continental glory is on in 2014 2015. And while the football club has already been eliminated from the UCL, their chances are still very much alive in the UEL.
Unfortunately for fans in the RSC Anderlecht jersey, the Purple and White got off to a somewhat lukewarm start in the tournament on Thursday, February 19th. The team's third place finish in Champions League Group D earned them a bye into the round of 32 for the 2014 2015 UEL. There, they were drawn against Russia's Dynamo Moscow for a two-leg battle.
Dynamo Moscow
The first leg, played at Anderlecht's Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in Brussels, ended in a scoreless stalemate for the two teams. The Purple and White had better possession than Dynamo (53% versus 47%), and also took more on-target shots (12 versus 5), but neither of those statistics ultimately mattered. The goalkeepers and defensive players did their jobs well, and the game ended with a score of 0-0.
Now, players and fans alike will don the Anderlecht away shirt 2014 2015 and head off to Moscow for a rematch. The away leg scheduled for Thursday, February 26th will decide which football team progresses to the round of 16, and which will be eliminated.
The good news is the RSC Anderlecht's chances at moving on to the next stage of the 2014 2015 Europa League are still very much alive. Even if they only win by one point at Thursday's away fixture, they will still win the round and earn the right to advance.
The bad news for the players in the RSC Anderlecht jersey is that they have essentially wasted their home field advantage. If the game was this evenly matched on their home turf, will they be able to contend with Dynamo Moscow in the away leg? Or will the Russian soccer squad convert their home field advantage to a key 2014 2015 UEL victory?
Either way, fans should have their Anderlecht away shirt 2014 2015 ready for Thursday's game. After all, the Purple and White will need all the fan support they can get if they are to advance to the UEL's round of 16 for the first time since 2010.
You can find the pink away version of the RSC Anderlecht jersey available at Soccer Box. The away shirt is available in both kids and adult sizes, and we also have stock available of the 2014 2015 Adidas home shirt.
RSC Anderlecht Enter the Europa League in Lukewarm Fashion
- February 25, 2015