Grings delighted by new Duisburg deal

FCR 2001 Duisburg striker Inka Grings has extended her contract with the UEFA Women's Cup semi-finalists for three years, keeping the Germany forward at the club until summer 2012.

Honours
Grings, 30, was due to be out of contract at the end of the current season, in which she is the top scorer in the Frauen-Bundesliga with 19 goals, putting her on course to head the rankings as she did in 1998/99, 1999/00, 2002/03 and 2007/08. She has spent her entire senior career with Duisburg, helping them to the 1999/00 title, and also aided Germany to victory at UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2005™. "I am pleased that we have reached an agreement," said Grings, who was recalled by Germany last month after more than three years away and scored two minutes into her comeback game.

Title chase
Duisburg moved three points clear at the top of the league this week as, in the absence of Grings, they won 7-0 at TSV Crailsheim on Sunday and 3-0 against SG Essen-Schönebeck last night while FC Bayern München lost 1-0 at 1. FFC Frankfurt at the weekend. This Sunday, Duisburg play second-placed 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, who are ahead of Bayern on goal difference, and meet Olympique Lyonnais in the UEFA Women's Cup semi-finals on 28 March and 5 April, aiming to become European champions at the first attempt. Duisburg are also in the German Cup semi-finals, where they take on VfL Wolfsburg on 11 April. Lyon are top in France and on Sunday won 8-0 at VGA Saint-Maur to set up a French Cup quarter-final against Saint-Etienne RC.

Turkey tune-ups
Meanwhile the other two semi-finalists are currently in their winter close seasons. Umeå IK take on Linköpings FC in the Swedish Super Cup on Sunday having won a pre-season tournament against that club and LDB FC Malmö in February and been training in Turkey over the last week, beating the Russia Under-17 team 4-0. Their opponents on 29 March and 5 April, Zvezda-2005, have also been in Turkey and defeated the Russia youth team 3-0.