Pride of Anglia - Ipswich Town Football Club

IPSWICH ARE BEATEN, BUT STILL CAPTURE TROPHY

Ipswich will fly home today with UEFA Cup after being obliged to battle hard right through to the bitter end of the second leg of the final, in Amsterdam last night, to resist the brave effort of AZ '67 to wipe out the three goal deficit incurred at Portman Road.

Few European finals can have begun more promisingly, since their were two goals on the scoreboard before the digital clock had registered seven minutes.

Moreover, both teams kept up the scoring rate. By half time they had accumulated five between them and the customers were beginning to wonder whether they would see a repetition of the great European Cup Final of 1962, when Benfica beat Real Madrid 5-3 on this pitch.

Ipswich began it all by snatching the lead inside four minutes when Thijssen half-volleyed a corner kick from Gates into the back of the net.

Early goals, especially when they are scored in the away leg, are supposed to be invaluable. But, for a time, this one served to do Ipswich more harm than good.

They became far too complacent, allowed a certain slovenliness to mar their game and consequently allowed their opponents to take control.

In the seventh minute AZ equalised when Welzl headed home a cross from Metgod, after a shrewd centre by Hovenkamp had caught the Ipswich defence off guard.

Ipswich did not get the message immediately. They continued to play sloppily, Metgod and Peters took control in midfield and began to cause problems with tantalising passes and crosses into the penalty box.

In the 25th minute Alkmaar deservedly moved in front, with Metgod heading a cross from Peters firmly past Cooper. The crowd, sensing that AZ might yet pull this game out of the fire despite the 3-0 deficit incurred at Portman Road, at last got behind their players.

They received their reward after 31 minutes, when Wark hooked home Muhren's corner kick, which had been headed onto him by Mariner.

Although AZ's task now seemed very difficult indeed - in view of Ipswich's two goals, which would count double in the event of a tie - they had by no means given up the fight.

Back they came in the 40th minute to regain the lead, at least for this second leg. Tol driving the ball past Cooper, after Jonker had nodded down Metgod's well judged cross.

Ipswich had some difficulty moving out of their own half, in the early stages of the second half. With Kist replacing Tol, Alkmaar pushed forward ceaselessly in search of more goals.

Wark and Thijssen fell back to help out in defence, and Brazil and Muhren battled away up front to make sure the Dutch defenders could not push forward to often.

So, AZ were mostly obliged to shoot from long range and Cooper dealt safely with efforts from Kist and Nygaard. Even so, it needed a spectacular leap across goal by Cooper in the 68th minute to prevent Welzl heading home from close range.

As the pressure on the Ipswich defence continued to mount, another goal for AZ seemed inevitable. It duly came in the 73rd minute, when Jonker hammered a free kick into the net from several yards outside the penalty box.

But although the ball frequently crossed the Ipswich penalty box, the defence held on to achieve the club's first success in a European competition.

AZ 67 Alkmaar - Treytel; Reynders, Spelbos, Metgod, Hovenkamp, Peters, Jonker, Arntz, Welzl (Talan), Nygaard, Tol (Kist)

Ipswich - Cooper, Mills, McCall, Thijssen, Osman, Butcher, Wark, Muhren, Mariner, Brazil, Gates

Donald Saunders (Daily Telegraph)