page_title: Ipswich Town F.C. in European football
section_title: UEFA Cup success and beyond: 1980 to 1983
hierarchical_section_title: Ipswich Town F.C. in European football / History / Robson era / UEFA Cup success and beyond: 1980 to 1983
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Collectie / Archief&#160;: Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie&#160;: Amsterdam 706 toernooi (voetbal) Beschrijving&#160;: Finale Ipswich Town tegen Standard Luik (2-0). Wark (rechts) maakt 1-0 Datum&#160;: 9 augustus 1981 Locatie&#160;: Amsterdam, Noord-Holland Trefwoorden&#160;: doelpunten, voetbal, wedstrijden Persoonsnaam&#160;: Wark, John Fotograaf&#160;: Dijk, Hans van / Anefo Auteursrechthebbende&#160;: Nationaal Archief Materiaalsoort&#160;: Negatief (zwart/wit) Nummer archiefinventaris&#160;: bekijk toegang 2.24.01.05 Bestanddeelnummer&#160;: 931-6178
context_page_description: Ipswich Town Football Club is an English professional association football club who have made numerous appearances in Union of European Football Associations and other European competitions since 1962. The first competitive venture in Europe came about as a result of Ipswich winning the First Division title in the 1961–62 season under their manager Alf Ramsey. The club qualified for the European Cup where they faced amateur Maltese opposition in the first round before being sent out of the contest by Italian champions A.C. Milan in the following round. Under Bobby Robson's leadership, Ipswich qualified for European football for a decade from 1972, the culmination of which was victory in the final of the 1980–81 UEFA Cup, winning 5–4 on aggregate against Dutch team AZ Alkmaar. The club remains undefeated at home throughout their entire history in UEFA-sanctioned European football matches, having played 31 times, winning 25 and drawing 6.
  Ipswich have also played in non-UEFA-sanctioned competitive European football. They participated in the Anglo-Italian Cup for a single season and won the Texaco Cup.
context_section_description: Ipswich's 1980–81 UEFA Cup campaign commenced in the first round against Greek team Aris Salonika.  The first leg, at Portman Road, was an ill-disciplined match which saw Aris' Giorgos Foiros sent off after a second yellow card towards the end of the first half.  Ipswich were awarded three penalties, all of which were converted by John Wark, who also scored a fourth from open play.  Aris also scored from the spot through Theodoros Pallas in what would be a consolation goal in a 5–1 win for Ipswich, described as a "sparkling" victory by the Belfast Telegraph.  Two weeks later, Aris won 3–1 in the return leg, taking an early 2–0 lead before Gates pulled one back for Ipswich.  Although Aris scored a third through midway through the second half, Ipswich progressed to the next round 6–4 on aggregate, where they faced Bohemians of Prague.  A 3–0 home win saw Wark on target twice more, who was substituted off with a tendon injury, to be replaced by Kevin Beattie who scored a third for Ipswich with a free kick, described in The Times as a "thunderbolt". The goal would prove to be pivotal as Ipswich, without regular goalkeeper Paul Cooper, midfielder Thijssen and striker Mariner, all through injury, lost the away leg 2–0 with goals from Antonín Panenka and Tibor Mičinec, but qualified for the third round 3–2 on aggregate.  Three weeks later, Ipswich faced Widzew Łódź from Poland, who had defeated Manchester United and Juventus in previous rounds, at Portman Road.  Wark once again found the net, scoring a hat-trick with goals from Alan Brazil and Paul Mariner completing a comprehensive 5–0  victory, the only negative being a trip to hospital for Mick Mills for 15 stitches in a cut to his shin.  On a frozen pitch which many observers considered to be dangerous, Widzew Łódź won the away leg 1–0 with Marek Pięta scoring for the hosts but went out 5–1 on aggregate.  The lead from the first leg allowed Robson to withdraw Mariner and Mühren, noting at the time that he was prioritising Ipswich's league challenge.
  After a three-month break, Ipswich faced French team AS Saint-Étienne in the quarter-finals in March 1981, the first leg being held in the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.  Dutch player Johnny Rep put the away team in the lead after 16 minutes, but a brace from Mariner and goals from Arnold Mühren and John Wark ensured Ipswich took a 4–1 lead into the second leg.  The victory against the French team has been described as one of the greatest performances in Ipswich's history, with Robson noting: "We have demolished a good side with one of the best victories anyone has achieved in Europe in the past 10 years". Ipswich won the game at Portman Road 3–1 with goals from Terry Butcher, Mariner and another penalty from Wark, while Saint-Étienne's consolation goal came from Jacques Zimako.  Winning the tie 7–2 on aggregate, Ipswich progressed to the semi-finals where they met German side 1. FC Köln.  Both legs finished 1–0 to Ipswich, Wark scoring again in the home leg, his 12th goal of the European campaign, with Butcher heading in a Thijssen free kick in Cologne.  The 2–0 aggregate victory ensured that Ipswich qualified for their first (and as of 2020, their only) European cup final, where they would face Dutch team AZ Alkmaar.
  The first leg of the 1981 UEFA Cup Final took place at Portman Road on 6 May 1981.  Ipswich took the lead through Wark who scored from the penalty spot midway through the first half.  It was Wark's 13th goal of the European campaign and in scoring it he ensured that he had scored in every round of the competition.  The lead was doubled a minute into the second half, following a header from Dutchman Frans Thijssen.  A third goal for Ipswich, this time from Paul Mariner, saw the English team win the game and take a 3–0 lead into the second leg at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam.  Thijssen scored four minutes into the second leg, giving Ipswich a 4–0 aggregate lead, but Austrian striker Kurt Welzl pulled one back for AZ minutes later.  AZ's Johnny Metgod and Pier Tol scored before half-time, sandwiching a Wark goal, to ta
caption: John Wark scored a record fourteen goals during Ipswich's 1980–81 UEFA Cup campaign.
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