Relieved Umeå secure Swedish championship

Title clinched
A 2-2 draw for challengers Linköpings FC against Umeå's fellow northerners Sunnanå SK earlier on Sunday meant that the reigning champions were able to clinch first place with a game to spare by beating Kristianstads DFF and they surged to an 8-0 win. Marta set the home team on its way in the eleventh minute and Anna Paulsson soon added a second to settle any nerves.

Seventh triumph
Johanna Rasmussen made it three five minutes after the break before FIFA World Player of the Year Marta claimed her club-leading 17th goal of the season just past the hour mark. Rasmussen, Madeleine Edlund, Frida Östberg and substitute Emelie Konradsson added to the party mood at Umeå's Gammliavallen home. The club are now lead the all-time list with seven Swedish titles, beating the record set by Jitex BK and Öxabäck IF back in the 1980s.

Tough challenge
Despite the ease of that last victory, Umeå faced their strongest title challenge since they were pipped in 2004 by Djurgården/Älvsjö from Linköping, who looked favourites until losing 3-2 at AIK Fotball on 22 September. When Umeå won 4-1 at Linköping earlier in the month, the crowd was nearly 10,000. "It's never been as tight as this before," Marta told Västerbottens Folkblad newspaper. "We've gone up and down in the league table, and we've dropped some points that we normally wouldn't."

European bid
Now Umeå can focus on the UEFA Women's Cup, aiming to improve on their final defeats of the last two seasons and match their 2002/03 and 2003/04 victories. Staging Group B2, Umeå face Valur Reykjavík on Thursday before playing Kazakhstan's Alma KTZH and ASD CF Bardolino Verona with two quarter-final places at stake. Should Umeå emerge triumphant next May, the Damallsvenskan runners-up will also enter the 2009/10 competition with Linköping two points ahead of LdB FC Malmö in second place with two games remaining.