It must have been the most exciting date in the club’s history, up to that time, when Ipswich beat AC Milan 2–1 in the European Cup at Portman Road on Wednesday November 28th 1962. It had been a stroll in the park as we beat Floriana of Malta 10–0 at home in the previous round, after a 4–1 win away. We had already lost 3–0 away to Milan in the first leg in this second round but as we trooped away from the ground on that November evening, the fact that town had beaten one of the great names in European football was enough for most of us even if we were out of the competition.
Then one voice could be heard explaining how unfair he thought it all was. “It is a lot of nonsense this aggregate score business,” he moaned. “They won one game and we won one game so now there should be a third match to decide who goes through to the next round.” What he would have thought if he had known that in the future ties would be decided on something as arbitrary as the “away goals rule” let alone a penalty shoot out, I dread to think!
Memory added on March 18, 2021
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