 The club finished second in the league once more and were losing semi @-@ finalists in the FA Cup , but the real success of the season was victory in the UEFA Cup . Beating Michel Platini 's AS Saint @-@ Étienne 4 – 1 at the Stade Geoffroy @-@ Guichard in the quarter @-@ finals and a 2 – 0 aggregate victory over 1 . FC <unk> in the semi @-@ final led Ipswich to the club 's first European final , played over two legs against AZ 67 Alkmaar . A 3 – 0 victory at Portman Road was followed by a 4 – 2 defeat at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam , resulting in a 5 – 4 aggregate victory over the Dutch side . 
