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All-Swedish tie on a knife-edge

Djurgården/Alvsjö 2-1 Umeå IK Laura Kalmari's late volley gave holders Umeå a quarter-final lifeline.

By Jan Juhlin

Two goals in the opening eight minutes gave Djurgården/Alvsjö a UEFA Women's Cup quarter-final first-leg lead they never surrendered - but holders Umeå IK pulled one back late in the game to stay hopeful ahead of Sunday's return.

Ljungberg on bench
With star forward Hanna Ljungberg omitted from the starting lineup due to a thigh injury, Umeå's bid to maintain their record of reaching every final since this competition began in 2001/02 took two early blows they could ill afford.

Early goals
On five minutes, Kristin Bengtsson pounced on a slip in the visiting defence and made no mistake in beating Umeå goalkeeper Anna Hofwing. Then, before Umeå even had time to digest that goal, Victoria Svensson took the ball past Sanna Valkonen and crossed for Linda Fagerström to double the Djurgården/Älvsjö advantage.

Dangerous counterattacks
Although Umeå, aiming for a hat-trick of European titles, soon began to take control of possession, Djurgården/Alvsjö still looked the team more likely to score as they launched a series of dangerous counterattacks, with only Hofwing's excellence keeping the score at 2-0 at half-time.

Fagerström denied
A similar pattern emerged after the break, with Svensson catching the eye and Fagerström denied a second goal by Hofwing. With Umeå needing an away goal, coach Andrée Jeglertz sent on Ljungberg, who immediately added spark to the visiting attack despite her injury troubles.

Kalmari strikes
In the 82nd minute Ljungberg sent in a powerful free-kick, forcing Maja Aström in Djurgården/Alvsjö's goal into a fine save. However, four minutes later Umeå registered as Finnish international Laura Kalmari volleyed in from Hanna Marklund's cross to set up a fascinating second leg.

Dennerby looks ahead
Djurgården/Alvsjö coach Thomas Dennerby, whose side had deservedly become the first team to beat Umeå over 90 minutes in this competition since 1. FFC Frankfurt won the inaugural final in 2002, said: "It is a shame we conceded a goal in the dying minutes, but if we play like this on Sunday, Umeå will have a tough game on their hands."

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