Manager Bobby Ferguson's hope that Ipswich Town would, at worst lose last nights UEFA Cup, first round, first leg tie by a one goal margin, where shattered in Rome's magnificent Olympic Stadium.

Town went down by three clear goals to AS Roma and now face a mountainous task in the second leg at Portman Road on September 29.

Last season Town, then defending holders, went out at the first hurdle to Aberdeen and now face a similar fate unless they can find something a bit special when the Italians come to Suffolk on September 29.

Two bad first half mistakes were Town's undoing against a Roma side that were really quite an ordinary outfit.

But in the second leg Town can expect to face a blanket defence with Roma simply intent on defending this decisive first leg lead.

A goal down when Russell Osman put through his own net, after only nine minutes, was just about the worst possible start Town could have made. Then Paul Cooper handed Roma a second goal on a plate in the 34th minute through Roberto Pruzzo.

Pruzzo, leading scorer in Italy last season, later sealed Town's fate with a 3rd after 68 minutes.

It left Town still seeking their first victory of the season, having now drawn blanks in all their first six outings of the new campaign.

As a spectacle, last nights match never reached any great heights. Town had plenty of possession and the passed the ball around well between the respective penalty areas but they never once seriously troubled Roma's goalkeeper Tancredi.

Mariner and Brazil were caught countless times in Roma's offside trap but many of the decisions went against them when they looked onside.

It was the errors at the back that proved their undoing and Roma punished them to the full.

Ferguson was anxious to quell any threat from Roma in the first quarter of an hour and send the crowd ''to sleep''.

Things more or less, looked to be going to plan until Roma opened their account in a most unexpected fashion.

Nela crossed the ball from the left into the penalty area where Faligi got a touch and knocked the ball past Osman who turned quickly and attempted to lob it back to Cooper.

Cooper, standing on the edge of his six yard line, stretched and appeared to have saved the situation but at the last moment he allowed the ball to slip from his grasp and it bounced agonisingly over the line.

Cooper must shoulder some of the blame because he did have the ball in his hands before letting it slip from his grasp.

Ipswich produced their first shot in the 14th minute, albeit a weak one from Gates. But three minutes later they had a good chance of equalising.

Thijssen found Gates in space on the right hand side of the penalty area but Gates failed to supply a good cross for the waiting Mariner.

Cooper came to Town's rescue in the 20th minute when he brilliantly parried a close range volley from Vierchowod after the first corner of the match which had been flicked on from Prohaska's flag kick.

Town were more than holding their own despite that early setback but tragedy struck again in the 34th minute with Cooper's unaccountable mistake. Prohaska played the ball through for Pruzzo and as he was challenged by Osman the ace goalgetter tried a shot that had virtually no pace on it.

But somehow Cooper allowed the ball to trickle past him and over the line to the delight of the volatile home crowd.

Town almost pulled a goal back in the first minute of the second half when Gates was only inches off target with a good 20 yard effort.

An hour had gone before Ipswich earned their first corner of the match but in the 68th minute Pruzzo scored his second goal to put Roma well and truly in the driving seat.

Falcao, the brilliant Brazillian, who played despite a foot injury, setup the chance after breaking from the back. He found Pruzzo on the left hand side of the penalty area and the striker chested the ball down before sending a perfect lob out of Coopers reach and into the far corner of the net.

Pruzzo's goal was similar to the one that Manchester Uniteds Norman Whiteside scored against them at Old Trafford last Saturday.

Pruzzo almost completed his hat-trick three minutes later.

AS Roma: Tancredi, Nappi, Nela, Vierchowod, Falcao, Maldera, Iorio, Prohaska, Pruzzo, Di Bartolomei, Valigi.

Ipswich: Cooper, Burley, Mills, Thijssen, Osman, Butcher, Wark, McCall (sub O'Callaghan 78 minutes), Mariner, Brazil, Gates.

Attendance: 60,334

Neal Manning (East Anglian Daily Times)

Thanks to AS Roma fan Max Troiani for the match photos.