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 Köln 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.