England were champions of the world and Liverpool were champions of England and yet, when the skies cleared, Bill Shankly's team had been destroyed and Ajax were soaring into another orbit.
This is the legendary mistwedstrijd — the Fog Game — played at Amsterdam's Olympic Stadium and, although more than half a century has passed, few Dutch football fans are unaware of its significance.
It was the moment Rinus Michels, Johan Cruyff and Total Football went international. There is no way this would ever be lost in the mists of time.
'This was the beginning of Ajax in Europe, we had a good team and those years from 66 to 73 were big for us,' says Sjaak Swart, the former winger known as Mr Ajax, who signed at the age of nine, made a club-record 596 appearances and is still playing regular 11-a-side football at the age of 82.