Umeå crowned European champions

By Peter Bruun in Hjørring

Umeå IK claimed the UEFA Women's Cup as a 3-0 away win against Fortuna Hjørring in the second leg of the final secured a 7-1 aggregate triumph.

Early advantage
The Swedish side held a 4-1 lead from the first leg, and in the third minute virtually ended any hopes their Danish opponents had of mounting a remarkable comeback as Hanna Ljungberg was fouled inside the penalty area and Malin Moström converted the resulting spot-kick.

Near miss
The goal visibly deflated the home side, but Fortuna almost equalised within four minutes as Lene Madsen headed a Marian Gajhede pass narrowly wide. However, Umeå were largely in control for the rest of the first half, with Ljungberg in particular causing problems for the home defence.

Well-placed strike
Anna Sjöström was also heavily involved, forcing Fortuna goalkeeper Dorthe Larsen into a spectacular save with a shot following a corner. She fired narrowly over the crossbar shortly afterwards. In the 35th minute, however, it was 0-2, as Laura Kalmari scored with a fine shot from the edge of the penalty area.
 
Shot saved
Fortuna began the second half in more positive fashion and created another good chance seven minutes after half-time, but Sharon Black's low close-range shot was blocked by the legs of Umeå goalkeeper Sofia Lundgren.

Larsen in action
Yet Umeå also continued to cause problems for the Fortuna defence, and on the hour an angled shot from Sofia Eriksson forced Larsen to make another good save. Just a minute later Eriksson went close again, beating Larsen with a free-kick only to see the ball drift just past the far post.

Ljungberg on target
The away side emphasised their superiority with a third goal in the 71st minute, as a left-wing corner led to confusion in the Fortuna defence and provoked a goalmouth scramble. The ball found its way to the feet of Ljungberg, who was completely unmarked, and she made no mistake from close range.

Last match for Larsen
Although the match was won, Umeå continued to press forward in search of more goals, and Larsen, playing the last match of a long and illustrious career, produced another fine stop to deny Ljungberg a second goal. At the other end, Fortuna's most impressive performer on the day, Christina Bonde, twice went close, sending two free-kicks just over the crossbar.