Anne Mäkinen returns from international retirement
Finland's biggest star, AIK's midfielder Anne Mäkinen, has decided to return from her self-imposed international retirement. She will dress up for Finland when they play Iceland in Helsinki May 5.
She met with Finnish national team coach Mikko Käld at AIK's match against Örebro last week and he persuaded her that it was time to return. Mäkinen comments that she, after stepping down from the national team during her mother's illness and death, now feels that she has regained energy and is looking forward to playing a big championship at home in Finland, the 2009 UEFA Championships.
The other Sweden based players in Finland's team for the Iceland match are Minna Meriluoto (Umeå Södra), Petra Vaelma (Umeå Södra), Sanna Valkonen (Kif Örebro), Jessica Julin (AIK), Susanna Lehtinen (Kif Örebro), Leena Puranen (Kif Örebro), Anna-Kaisa Rantanen (Linköpings FC), Annica Sjölund (AIK) and Linda Sällström (Djurgården)
Damfotboll.com: Anne Mäkinen gör come-back i landslaget
Yle: Mäkinen i Kälds landslag
Damallsvenskan: Djurgården back on track?
Umeå Södra: Minna Meriluoto - Maria Wiktorsson, Petra Vaelma, Moa Westermark, Anna Rehn - Linda Fransson, Hanna Folkesson, Emma Sundberg, Anna Forss (70 Terese Andersson) - Jennifer Nobis, Vanessa Mångsén
Kristianstad: Maria Edman - Johanna Jönsson, Maria Åhlund, Johanna Rosén, Ulrika Severin - Therese Björck, Sofie Persson, Vlora Bajraktaraj, Erla Arnadottir (79 Veronica Persson) - Frida Pettersson, Elin Bjerre (46 Susanne Moberg)
Goals: 1-0 Maria Wiktorsson (53), 1-1 Susanne Moberg (60)
Attendance: 425
Kristianstadsbladet: KDFF knep viktig pinne i Umeå
Västerbottens Folkblad: Umeå Södra kryssar vidare
Västerbottenskuriren: Milda makter - Marias första skott gick i mål
Djurgårdens IF - Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC 3 - 0 (1-0)
Djurgården: Nadine Angerer - Madelene Göras, Anne-Marie Norlin, Therese Brogårde, Sara Thunebro - Marijke Callebaut, Ariane Hingst, Anna Hall, Linda Forsberg (78 Rebecca Johnson) - Jennifer Meier (57 Linda Sällström), Victoria Svensson (88 Mia Jalkerud)
Göteborg: Jenny Olsson - Maria Nilsson, Jane Törnqvist, Jenny Hallstensson, Amelie Rybeck - Ingvild Stensland, Johanna Almgren, Maria Karlsson - Sofie Andersson (63 Lisa Ek), Sara Lindén, Emmelie Farfa (55 Linnea Liljegärd)
Goals: 1-0 Victoria Svensson (45), 2-0 Ariane Hingst (54), 3-0 Linda Forsberg (75)
Attendance: 412
Dagens Nyheter: DIF bröt trenden
Göteborgsposten: "Börjat serien med en svacka"
Sunnanå SK - AIK 1 - 1 (0-0)
Sunnanå: Åsa Berglund - Carina Holmberg (87 Rebecca Smith), Alexandra Nilsson, Marjam Marklund, Sandra Berggren - Kristina Wiklund, Anna Bodén, Josefin Johansson, Johanna Lindahl (65 Erika Karlsson) - Lina Johansson, Lisa Renberg (90 Magdalena Esseryd)
AIK: Sofia Lundgren - Sofia Simonsson, Jessica Julin, Frida Höglund, Linda Lekander - Emma Lundh (Annica Sjölund), Anne Mäkinen, Elin Ekblom Bak - Kate Gill, Lisa de Vanna, Louise Fors (83 Elin Karlsson)
Goals: 1-0 Lina Johansson (63), 1-1 Lisa de Vanna (67)
Attendance: 553
Norra Västerbotten: Målmissandet fortsatte mot AIK, "Nu fick vi spela försvarsspel"
Good draw for Sweden in the Olympics
Coach Dennerby didn't want to agree that it was a dream draw, but "it is at least a draw where we have a good chance in every match".
The two other groups consists of Germany, Brazil, North Korea and Nigeria in Shenyang while USA, Norway, Japan and New Zealand will play in Qinhuangdao.
Radiosporten: Bra lottning för Sverige i OS-fotbollen
Aftonbladet: Sverige mot Kina i OS
Long injury rehab for Hanna Ljungberg
Ljungberg has had her last two seasons destroyed by early season injuries and she has been very cautious in training and playing playing matches this spring, trying to avoid a repetition of that. Unfortunately without success, it seems.
Västerbottenskuriren: Ljungberg kan missa Women´s Cup-finalerna
Linköpings FC, who was some kind of injury central last year with no less than four ACL injuries on key players, has suffered another serious injury. 17 years old defense talent Maria Svensson, signed late last year, tore her anterior cruciate ligament during a training match earlier this week. The common rehab period after such an injury is six months.
Corren: Korsbandet var av på LFC:s backtalang
Sunnanå's Nigerian striker Perpetua Nkwocha is quaranteened with chicken-pox and will not probably not play the match against AIK this weekend. There are also uncertainties for key defender Alexandra Nilsson, who had to leave the match against Sunnanå after a rough tackle.
Norra Västerbotten: Peppe och Alex kan missa AIK
Schelin and Ljungberg missing in Sweden's squad for Euro qualifiers
Both Lotta Schelin and Hanna Ljungberg will be missing when Sweden goes to Hungary May 3 and than hosts Italy four days later in two important qualifying matches for the 2009 European Championships. Schelin is as earlier reported out for a month since Göteborg's match against LDB FC and Hanna is gfeeling from an old injury since a training session last Tuesday. National team coach Thomas Dennerby is still confident: "Our goal is to qualify without losing any points and that doesn't change because of this".
Another missing veteran is Umeå's defender Karolina Westberg, who has missed Umeå's opening matches in Damallsvenskan to injury. "She is competing with six healthy players that has been playing regulary", explains Dennerby.
Goalkeepers:
Kristin Hammarström, Kif Örebro
Hedvig Lindahl, Linköpings FC
Defenders:
Sara Larsson, Linköpings FC
Anna Paulson, Umeå IK
Charlotte Rohlin, Linköpings FC
Stina Segerström, Kif Örebro
Sara Thunebro, Djurgården
Frida Östberg, Umeå IK
Midfielders:
Johanna Almgren, Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC
Nilla Fischer, LDB FC Malmö
Linda Forsberg, Djurgården
Caroline Seger, Linköpings FC
Therese Sjögran, LDB FC Malmö
Josefine Öqvist, Linköping FC
Forwards:
Madelaine Edlund, Umeå IK
Jessica Landström, Linköpings FC
Therese Lundin, LDB FC Malmö
Victoria Svensson, Djurgården
Svensk Fotboll: Schelin och Ljungberg missar EM-kvalet
Damallsvenskan: Djurgården lose again
AIK - Kif Örebro 3 - 1 (1-0)
AIK: Sofia Lundgren - Sofia Simonsson, Linda Sembrant, Frida Höglund, Linda Lekander - Elin Ekblom Bak, Anne Mäkinen, Jessica Julin, Louise Fors (64 Annica Sjölund) - Lisa de Vanna, Emma Lundh
Örebro: Kristin Hammarström - Ingrid Ericson (68 Kim Ekebom), Stina Segerström, Sanna Valkonen, Marina Pettersson - Elin Magnusson, Lena Andersson (82 Marie Ståhlberg), Marie Hammarström, Marie Nordbrant - Leena Puranen (56 Hanna Pettersson), Caroline Näfver
Goals: 1-0 Lisa de Vanna (24), 2-0 Lisa de Vanna (59), 2-1 Kim Ekebom (70), 3-1 Lisa de Vanna (84)
Attendance: 281
If we're going to reach our goals for the season, this is one of the matches we have to win, had AIK's management declared before the match. And it seems they're on the right way. AIK had the upper hand most of the match, much thanks to their new midfielders Mäkinen and Ekblom. And Lisa de Vanna showed her qualities as a goalscorer - being forst on a rebound from the keeper, running away from Örebro's defense on a long pass from defender Sembrant and chipping in a ball from Ekblom. But part of her productivity as a goalscorer comes from trying very often. She had more missed great chances than converted ones.
Örebro had good help from keeper Kristin Hammarström to stay in the game as long as they did and substitute Ekbom's second half goal made it more exciting, but never really threatening for AIK.
Nerikes Allehanda: KIF Örebro-förlust med 3-1 mot AIK
AIK Fotboll: Tre mål av De Vanna och tre poäng!
Hammarby - Djurgården 3 - 0 (2-0)
Hammarby: Kathrin Lehmann - Matilda Agné, Karin Lissel, Elin Sölveskog, Anna Lindblom - Jennie Jonsson, Andrea Comaneci (69 Madeleine Tegström) - Emma Wall, Nazanin Vaseghpanah, Daniella Chamoun (76 Malin Broberg) - Lisa Björkvik
Djurgården: Nadine Angerer - Madelene Göras, Ariane Hingst, Therese Brogårde (66 Rebecca Johnson), Sara Thunebro - Marijke Callebaut, Ann-Marie Norlin (58 Jennifer Meier), Anna Hall, Linda Forsberg - Victoria Svensson, Linda Sällström
Goals: 1-0 Nazanin Vaseghpanah (2), 2-0 Daniella Chamoun (8), 3-0 Lisa Björkvik (54)
Attendance: 312
Coming back from 0-6 and 1-7 defeats, Hammarby didn't inspire much confidence as they hosted last season's number two Djurgården. But after just one minute of playing time, Nazanin Vaseghpanah escaped a disorganised Djurgården defense and chipped goalkeeper Nadine Angerer. And just minutes later this feat was repeated by Daniella Chamoun, making it 2-0 for the hosts after less than 10 minutes. Djurgården tried to work themselves back into the match after the shock opening, but their defense remained vulnerable and in spite of hard work from Victoria Svensson and Marijke Callebaut in midfield they never managed to dominate as expected. Hammarby's goalkeeper Kathrin Lehmann, back from her successfull ice hockey excursion, inspired confidence in her defense. Instead of a Djurgården goal, Hammarby managed to extend their lead to 3 goals when Lisa Björkvik exploited another defense mistake from Djurgården.
Hammarby's coach Anders Bengtsson was of course very pleased with his team's comeback from the difficult games against Malmö and Umeå. But it was an extremely heavy loss for Djurgården and sport director Mikael Söderman admitted that his team will have a lot to work with the coming days.
Damfotboll.com: Vilken Lehmann-effekt, Bajen!
Bälinge - Umeå Södra FF 1 - 1 (0-1)
Bälinge: Veronica Svensson - Lisa Lantz, Lina Andersson, Natalie Spilger, Emma Lindqvist - Julia Lyckberg (63 Noelle Keselica), Linda Blom, Joanna Lohmann, Katri Nokso-Koivisto (71 Sarah Storck) - Emma Jonsson (63 Emilia Appelqvist), Ida Brännström
Umeå Södra: Minna Meriluoto - Maria Wiktorsson, Petra Vaelma, Moa Westermark, Anna Rehn - Vanessa Mångsén, Emma Sundberg, Hanna Folkesson, Anna Forss (79 Patricia Hägglund) - Linda Fransson, Jennifer Nobis (86 Elina Sormunen)
Goals: 0-1 Jennifer Nobis (7), 1-1 Lina Andersson (78)
Attendance: 312
It is too early to talk about must-win matches, but for both teams this was one of those matches they should win, if they wanted to avoid relegation. Södra opened best with a early goal from Jennifer Nobis (an impressive solo run through Bälinge's defense), but over time Bälinge took command. This was particulary noticeable after some second half substitutions. Team captain Lina Andersson could equalise after a corner kick and the rest was Bälinge pressure on Umeå Södra's goal, but without success.
Bälinge's coach Zaine Söderlund was pleased with the way his team played and particulary with the second half substitutes Storck and Keselica. The 4-3-3 set-up he used the last 30 minutes was successful - "We were like a completely new team after the change", commented Noelle Keselica - but, said Söderlund, our forwards need to score.
Upsala Nya Tidning: Nollan spräckt för Bälinge, Keselica: Det är så här vi ska spela
At least three weeks on the injury list for Schelin
SVT: Schelin borta minst tre veckor
Damallsvenskan: Another big loss for Hammarby
KIF Örebro - Kristianstads DFF 1 - 0 (1-0)
Örebro: Kristin Hammarström - Ingrid Ericson, Stina Segerström, Sanna Valkonen, Marina Pettersson - Elin Magnusson, Lena Andersson, Marie Hammarström, Marie Nordbrant - Leena Puranen, Caroline Näfver (79 Kim Ekebom)
Kristianstad: Maria Edman - Johanna Jönsson, Maria Åhlund, Johanna Rosén, Ifeoma Dieke (88 Veronica Persson) - Therese Björk, Sofie Persson, Vlora Bajraktaraj, Erla Arnadottir - Frida Pettersson (73 Elin Bjerre), Susanne Moberg
Goals: 1-0 Leena Puranen (42)
Attendance: 776
Örebro's Finnish attacker Leena Puranen admitted she had had problems sleeping after the goalless draw against Bälinge last Wednesday, having missed numerous scoring chances. This time around will feel better. She recieved the ball with her right, turned her defender and scored with her left - a real class goal.
Puranen's goal was one of Örebro's few bright points in the match. They were unable to hold possession for any longer periods and if not for a couple of great saves by national team goalkeeper Kristin Hammarström, the result could have been another.
Kristianstad suffered their first loss in 28 matches - they went through their first division season last year like a miniature Umeå. In spite of the unfamiliar feeling of defeat, they were fairly satisfied with the performance, even if they didn't manage to reach the same level as against Djurgården. A late cancellation from full-back Carolin Ericsson forced Ifeoma Dieke to start after only three days with the team. She had understandably some problems initially playing in an unknown team.
Nerikes Allehanda: Leena fixade segern till KIF
Kristianstadsbladet: Förlust för KDFF i Örebro
LDB FC Malmö - Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC 3 - 2 (1-1)
Malmö: Stephanie Öhrström - Therese Jönsson, Emma Wilhelmsson, Malin Levenstad, Lina Nilsson - Nilla Fischer - Frida Nordin, Dora Stefansdottir (64 Pavlina Scasna), Therese Lundin, Therese Sjögren - Manon Melis (88 Emma Stålhammar)
Göteborg: Jenny Olsson - Marlene Sjöberg, Jane Törnqvist, Jenny Hallstensson, Amelie Rybäck - Ingvild Stensland, Johanna Almgren (78 Lisa Ek), Maria Karlsson - Lotta Schelin (66 Linnea Liljegärd), Sara Lindén, Emelie Farfa (71 Sofie Andersson)
Goals: 1-0 Manon Melis (33), 1-1 Ingvild Stensland (42), 2-1 Manon Melis (49), 2-2 Maria Karlsson (57 PK), 3-2 Therese Sjögran (66)
Attendance: 1,205
"More exciting than necessary" was a common comment after a match that a dominant Malmö should have closed much earlier than in the final second. In spite of Göteborg showing up a much better defense than last year and a very alert Ingvild Stensland, Malmö were strong in the first half and took over completely in the second. Speedy Dutch forward Manon Melis scored a brace, making her tally 4 goals in two matches and one of the best on the pitch, Therese Sjögran, forced in the rebound from her own shot to score the winner.
Göteborg came from behind two times, Ingvild Stensland scored with a surprisingly weak shot after an admirable solo performance and Maria Karlsson converting a penalty kick that Lotta Schelin earned for her team. In the final seconds of the match they could have made it a third time when young debutant Linnea Liljegärd hit the horizontal bar.
Lotta Schelin started handicapped by an inflamed tendon and was not quite her usual self. She substuituted out herself after earning a penalty for Göteborg with more leg pains and a possible injury.
Fotbollskanalen: match clip
Göteborgsposten: Knapp förlust för Göteborg
Sydsvenskan: Melis bjöd på mellanmål
Linköpings FC - Umeå Södra FF 4 - 0 (2-0)
Linköping: Hedvig Lindahl - Anna-Kaisa Rantanen, Sara Larsson , Charlotte Rohlin, Marie-Louise Skålberg - Josefine Öqvist (74 Ann Westermark), Daniela, Caroline Seger, Maria Karlsson (83 Maja Krantz) - Cristiane (69 Kosovare Asllani), Jessica Landström
Umeå Södra: Jessica Lundberg - Maria Wictorsson, Moa Westermark, Petra Vaelma, Anna Rehn - Vanessa Mångsén (87 Anna Forss), Elina Sormunen (63 Victoria Forsmark), Emma Sundberg, Linda Fransson - Jennifer Nobis, Terese Andersson (46 Patricia Hägglund)
Goals: 1-0 Maria Karlsson (30), 2-0 Josefine Öqvist (35), 3-0 Sara Larsson (68), 4-0 Jessica Landström (86)
Attendance: 1,321
Umeå Södra, still feeling the victory over Sunnanå last Wednesday in their legs, didn't have much to put up against a fresh Linköping. The general feeling among the Linköping players were that they really should have scored more goals. And they were probably right - 28 shots at goal against nil. The new Brazilian stars showed themselves for their home crowd for the first time. Daniela made a great performance, tough and skilled with great vision, while Cristiane was subbed out after having problems finding her place.
"We were under fire for 90 minutes", commented Södra's coach Torbjörn Nordström, who still were pleased with his team's effort and fighting spirit.
Corren: Landström hittade rätt - till slut
Västerbottens Folkblad: Södra är nere på jorden igen
Sunnanå SK - Bälinge IF 0 - 0 (0-0)
Sunnanå: Åsa Berglund - Carina Holmberg, Mirjam Marklund, Sanna Frostevall, Alexandra Nilsson (77 Sandra Berggren) - Kristina Wiklund, Anna Bodén (85 Rebecca Smith), Josefine Johansson, Johanna Lindahl - Petpetua Nkwocha, Lina Johansson
Bälinge: Veronica Svensson - Lisa Lantz, Natalie Spilger, Lina Andersson, Emma Lindqvist - Linda Blom, Julia Lyckberg (82 Noelle Keselica), Emilia Appelqvist, Katri Nokso-Koivisto (59 Karolina Mats) - Emma Jonsson, Ida Brännström
Attendance: 344
After the match against Umeå Södra last Wednesday, Sunnanå's Nigerian forward Perpetua Nkwocha wished that she would never have to play in snow again. Her wish was not fullfilled. The snow moved horisontally over the field at Sunnanå's home arena Norvalla, you could hardly see the match clock from the stands and how the referee could distinguish the lines is anybody's guess. Sunnanå pressed hard against a furiously defending Bälinge, but had just as big scoring problems as they had against Umeå Södra in the last match - 25 finishes but not a single goal. Bälinge's goalkeeper Veronica Svensson had another good day and the well organized defense with Lina Andersson and Natalie Spilger also helped. But Sunnanå's lack of efficiency in the attack is becoming a problem for the team.
Norra Västerbotten: Fruset målskytte
Upsala Nya Tidning: Mållöst och uddlöst - igen
Umeå IK -Hmmarby IF 6 - 0 (5-0)
Umeå: Carola Söberg - Anna Paulsson, Johanna Frisk, Emma Berglund, June Pedersen - Lisa Dahlqvist, Hanna Ljungberg (71 Mami Yamaguchi), Frida Östberg (61 Emelie Konradsson) - Ramona Bachmann (61 Sofia Jakobsson), Madeleine Edlund, Marta
Hammarby: Lisa Mattsson - Matilda Agné, Karin Lissel, Elin Sölveskog, Anna Lindblom (74 Malin Broberg) - Jennie Jonsson, Andrea Comaneci - Madeleine Tegström (58 Emma Wall), Nazanin Vaseghpanah, Daniella Chamoun - Lisa Björkvik (90 Josefine Christensen)
Goals: 1-0 Marta (21), 2-0 Madeleine Edlund (25), 3-0 Ramona Bachmann (26), 4-0 Frida Östberg (32), 5-0 Madeleine Edlund (35), 6-0 Hanna Ljungberg (54)
Attendance: 538
Falling snow and freezing cold - it was a wonder anyone showed up for Umeå's home opener. Even Umeå's players looked reluctant at start - bad passes, bad decisions. But then Marta opened the scoring with a direct free-kick and Umeå went on a fifteen minutes five goals rampage with Madeleine Edlund in the leading part. After that the match was over and the most interesting with Hanna Ljungberg's second half goal was that it was Hanna Ljungberg scoring. Hammarby tried to fight back, but never really managed to threaten Umeå. Even coach Jeglertz said that he understood that the players wanted to take it a bit easy once they had scored their first half goals. Västerbottenskuriren: Edlund - en ljuspunkt i snöovädret
Västerbottens Folkblad: UIK vann med 6-0
Damallsvenskan: Stockholm derby draw
Djurgården: Nadine Angerer - Madelene Göras, Ariane Hingst, Therese Brogårde, Sara Thunebro - Marijke Callebaut, Ann-Marie Norlin, Anna Hall, Rebecca Johnson (46 Linda Sällström) - Jennifer Meier (66 Anna Lagerberth), Victoria Svensson
AIK: Sofia Lundgren - Sofia Simonsson, Linda Sembrant, Frida Höglund, Linda Lekander - Elin Ekblom Bak, Anne Mäkinen, Jessica Julin (69 Emelie Karlsson Wedin), Louise Fors - Lisa de Vanna (75 Kate Gill), Emma Lundh (57 Annica Sjölund)
Goals: 0-1 Lisa de Vanna (20), 1-1 Marijke Callebaut (31)
Attendance: 1,012
AIK opened best and got the lead when Lisa de Vanna chipped Nadine Angerer in Djurgården's goal. The match was closely fought with fairly few scoring opportunities, but quite a lot of possession for AIK. Marijke Callebaut equalised after ten minutes, capitalising on the good preparation by Victoria Svensson. In the second half, and the more the longer the game continued, Djurgården took over and pressed hard the last 15 minutes. It still ended in a draw.
"AIK will be one of the top teams this season", commented Djurgården's coach Anders Johansson. AIK's Elin Ekblom, last year in Djurgården, pointed out that Djurgården always are supposed to win, while AIK can go in and play without that pressure. At least they have so far. After a narrow 1-0 loss to last years number one Umeå and 1-1 against the number two, it feels like they're on the right track.
Dagens Nyheter: Delad pott i Stockholmsderbyt
Damallsvenskan: More newbie upsets
The Swedish Football Association has introduced a new web-service for Damallsvenskan this season. The same livescore service that are used in the men's premier league will now also be used for the women. The livescore opens one hour before kick-off and you reach it at www.svenskfotboll.se/livescore. Great service, it worked flawlessly Wednesday night, and recommended for those of you that simply can't wait to find out what's happening.
AIK - Umeå IK 0 - 1 (0-0)
AIK: Sofia Lundgren - Sofia Simonsson, Frida Höglund, Linda Sembrant, Linda Lekander (88 Annica Sjölund) - Elin Ekblom Bak, Anne Mäkinen, Jessica Julin, Louise Fors (83 Emelie Karlsson Wedin) - Emma Lundh (69 Kate Gill), Lisa de Vanna
Umeå: Carola Söberg - Anna Paulsson, Johanna Frisk, Emma Berglund, June Pedersen (46 Hanna Ljungberg) - Lisa Dahlqvist, Frida Östberg, Mami Yamaguchi - Johanna Rasmussen (56 Ramona Bachmann), Madeleine Edlund (77 Sofia Jakobsson), Marta
Goals: 1-0 Hanna Ljungberg (82)
Attendance: 932
Hosting AIK, who fell 4-0 and 8-0 against Umeå last year, almost provided an upset, but Umeå was saved by a late goal by Hanna Ljungberg. Recieving the ball from Marta (who else?) inside the box, turned away from the goal and with a defender on her back, she still managed create some space for herself and placed the shot in the far corner. A quality goal.
Up til the last maybe 15 minutes, AIK had looked a lot like the better side. This was particulary true in the first half, where AIK had four shots at goal before Umeå managed to create anything. They pressured far up in the field and kept feeding their speedy forward Lisa de Vanna with passes, who had at least four good chances. They even had a goal inside, from an Elin Ekblom header, but it was disallowed.
Both sides seemed somewhat disappointed. AIK's Benny Persson thought his team should have had at least a draw and Lisa de Vanna, who impressed on most viewers in her Damallsvenskan debut, was disappointed that she didn't manage to score on any of her chances. Umeå's captain Frida Östberg congratulated her team to their spirit and work ethic, that helped them turn the match around after a disappointing first half.
Svenska Dagbladet: AIK pressade Umeå men föll
Dagens Nyheter: AIK:s värvning överglänste Marta
Aftonbladet: Hanna Ljungberg avgjorde direkt
Bälinge - KIF Örebro 0 - 0 (0-0)
Bälinge: Veronica Svensson - Lisa Lantz, Lina Andersson, Natalie Spuilger, Emma Lindqvist - Linda Blom, Julia Lyckberg (87 Sarah Storck), Emilia Appelqvist (54 Noelle Keselica), Katri Nokso-Koivisto (64 Karolina Mats) - Emma Jonsson, Ida Brännström
Örebro: Kristin Hammarström - Ingrid Ericson, Stina Stegerström, Sanna Valkonen, Caroline Näfver - Maria Nordbrant, Marina Pettersson, Lena Andersson, Marie Hammarström - Elin Magnusson, Leena Puranen (84 Kim Ekebom)
Attendance: 174
Bälinge, against all predictions, got a great start. They managed to hold on to the ball in the midfield and make the right passes to Ida Brännström and Emma Jonsson (both making their first match for Bälinge). But after about 30 minutes, Bälinge began to lose balls, defense and midfield fell deep in front of their own goal and Örebro dominated the rest of the match, producing close to 20 shots at goal. But Bälinge's Veronica Svensson had a great day and saved one point for Bälinge.
Upsala Nya Tidning: Svensson höll nollan i mållös Bälingepremiär
Hammarby - LDB FC Malmö 1 - 7 (1-4)
Hammarby: Lisa Mattsson - Anna Lindblom (58 Emma Wall), Malin Nilsson, Elin Sölveskog, Matida Agné - Jennie Jonsson, Madeleine Tegström (46 Lisa Björkvik) - Daniella Chamoun, Andrea Comaneci, Nazanin Vaseghpanah - Kristin Bengtsson (80 Malin Broberg)
Malmö: Stephanie Öhrström - Emelie Ölander (46 Therese Jönsson), Malin Levenstad, Emma Wilhelmsson, Lina Nilsson - Manon Melis (69 Maria Aronsson), Nilla Fischer, Dora Stefansdottir, Therese Sjögran - Emma Stålhammar (60 Pavlina Scasna), Therese Lundin
Goals: 0-1 Dora Stefansdottir (7), 0-2 Therese Lundin (24), 0-3 Manon Melin (33), 0-4 Dora Stefansdottir (37), 1-4 Daniella Chamoun (44), 1-5 Manon Melis (54), 1-6 Therese Jönsson (61), 1-7 Therese Lundin (85)
Attendance: 301
An extremely efficient Malmö didn't give Hammarby much chance. Nilla Fischer in her defensive midfield position won everything that came in her area and distributed the ball to the wings. Hammarby's young reserve keeper Lisa Mattsson (replacing Kathrin Lehmann, who was playing icehockey World Championship with Switzerland) had a difficult task in her first Damallsvenskan match. Malmö coach Jörgen Pettersson was pleased that his system worked, at least against Hammarby, while Hammarby coaches and players just wanted to forget the match and move on.
Hammarby's veteran Kristin Bengtsson had to leave with a muscle injury late in the match. She will probably need a four week rest before she can return to the game.
Dagens Nuheter: Bajenstjärna skadad i storförlust
Sydsvenskan: Fischer bäst när Hammarby krossades
Umeå Södra FF - Sunnanå SK 2 - 1 (1-1)
Umeå Södra: Minna Meriluoto - Anna Rehn, Moa Westermark, Petra Vaelma, Ragna Lestander - Anna Forss (63 Linda Fransson), Emma Sundberg, Hanna Folkesson, Terese Andersson - Jennifer Nobis, Vanessa Mångsén (73 Patricia Hägglund)
Sunnanå: Åsa Berglund - Carina Holmberg, Sanna Frostevall (77 Lisa Renberg), Marjam Marklund, Alexamdra Nilsson - Kristina Wiklund, Anna Bodén, Josefin Johansson, Johanna Lindahl - Perpetua Nkwocha, Lina Johansson
Goals: 1-0 Hanna Folkesson (5), 1-1 Lina Johansson (20), 2-1 Linda Fransson (70)
Attendance: 342
Just like the other newcomers Kristianstad, Umeå Södra managed an upset. They opened optimistic and Hanna Folkesson got a goal already after less than five minutes. But after that Sunnanå took over the match and Umeå Södra very rarely came out of defense. It took them 25 minutes before thay had their first second half attack, Nobis firing a shot that the keeper couldn't keep and Linda Fransson, fresh from the bench, scored on the rebound. The rest was defense for Södra and botched scoring chances for Sunnanå.
Västerbottens Folkblad: Premiärskräll av Södra
Norra Västerbotten: Sunnanå snömosade i premiären
Even more last training matches
Sunnanå:
Goals: Perpetua Nkwocha (3), Johanna Lindahl, Lina Johansson, Anna Bodén
Sunnanå looked good against their own clubs junior men. It only took them 10 minutes to score the first three goals and the cooperation between Lina Johansson and Nigerian striker Perpetue Nkwocho worked fine. Defender rebecca Smith got a few minutes in the second half, her first since the World Cup last year and both she and the coach was happy about that.
Norra Västerbotten: Peppe tremålsskytt i genrepet
Linköping FC - Östria/Lambohov P17 5 - 0
Linköping:
Goals: 1-0 Jessica Landström, 2-0 Maria Karlsson, 3-0 Ann Westermark, 4-0 Daniela, 5-0 Kosovare Asllani
Linköping tested themselves against a local team of 17 year old boys. A pleased coach Daniel Pettersson also was fairly cautious as he called of no less than five players (Sara Larsson, Petra Larsson, Maria Karlsson, Cristiane and Jessica Landström) from the pitch for minor injuries, finishing with only 10 players.
Corren: LFC-stjärnor fick avbryta genrepet
Kopparbergs/Göteborg - Byttorp 9 - 2 (4-1)
Göteborg: Jenny Olsson - Marlene Sjöberg (72 Elin Dahl-Örn), Jenny Hallstensson, Jane Törnqvist, Amelie Rybäck (72 Sofia Karlsson) - Ingvild Stensland (72 Catrin Johansson), Johanna Almgren, Maria Karlsson - Sofie Andersson, Sara Lindén, Emmelie Farfa (53 Frida Svensson)
Goals: 1-0 Jane Törnqvist (8), 2-0 Jenny Hallstenson (13), 3-0 Sara Lindén (23), 4-1 Sara Lindén (43), 5-1 Maria Karlsson (49), 6-1 Jenny Hallstenson (54), 7-1 Maria Karlsson (58), 8-1 Sara Lindén (60), 9-2 Sofie Andersson (82)
Göteborg played 1st division newcomers Byttorp and had a field day, scoring nine goals, and that without Lotta Schelin, who rested with some feelings of an old injury. There wasn't much nerve in the match, but coach Torbjörn Nilsson was satisfied: "The idea with this match was to score a lot of goals".
Göteborgsposten: Enkelt genrep för Göteborg FC
UEFA Women's Cup: Umeå to final with a nil-nil draw
Umeå: Ulla-Karin Rönnlund - Frida Östberg, Johanna Frisk, Emma Berglund, Anna Paulson - Mami Yamaguchi, Lisa Dahlkvist, Johanna Rasmussen - Ramona Bachmann, Madelaine Edlund (90 Sofia Jakobsson), Marta.
Attendance: 3,372
Umeå's coach Andrée Jeglertz had before the match declared that it wasn't possible to try and play for a nil-nil draw and his team would play their usual attacking game. But the match was much more restrained, from both sides, than the Lyon leg of the semifinal. Umeå guarded their wings much better than in the first match, allowed Olympique play around the ball in midfield, but neither side created nearly as much as they had in Lyon. Somebody said it was a boring match, but still having you sitting on needles. And it did, all the way into extra-time. Umeå seemed to have taken control the last 15 minutes of the match, but then, a little bit into extratime, Thomis came in a successfull run down the right side and passed backwards inwards to an onrushing Bompastor, who hit the far post, the by far best opportunity of the match.
Umeå got a late cancellation from Karolina Westberg that forced them to reshuffle the team. Teenage talent Emma Berglund was put in mid defense and Frida Östberg moved down from the midfield to take the position as left back. Berglund did great in 90 minutes until she lost her position at Bompastor's almost goal. And team captain Frida Östberg set the bar early in the match, making sure it would hurt trying to get past her.
Uefa.com: Umeå scrape through to fifth final
Dagens Nyheter: Umeå i final i Women's Cup
SVT: Umeå till ny Women's Cup-final There are four videos linked from this page, but only interviews. Appearently SVT don't have any rights to publish match pictures on the web, neither from UEFA nor from Damallsvenskan.
Damallsvenskan: Kristianstad upsets Djurgården
Kristianstad - Djurgården 2 - 1 (2-0)
Kristianstad: Maria Edman - Johanna Jönsson, Maria Åhlund, Johanna Rosén, Carolin Ericsson - Therese Björk (63 Pernilla Falk), Vlora Bajraktaraj, Sofie Persson, Erla Arnadottir - Frida Petersson (87 Maria Nilsson), Susanne Moberg (37 Elin Bjerre)
Djurgården: Nadine Angerer - Madelene Göras, Ariane Hingst, Therese Brogårde, Sara Thunebro - Rebecca Jonsson, Marijke Callebaut (72 Anna Lagerberth), Anna Hall, Linda Sällström (62 Jennifer Meier) - Linda Forsberg, Victoria Svensson
Goals: 1-0 Susanna Moberg (20), 2-0 Frida Petersson (42), 2-1 Victoria Svensson (54 PK)
Attendance: 2,221
Damallsvenskan started the season with a huge upset. Newcomers Kristianstad defeated last year's runners-up Djurgården. And they didn't do it by bunkering in defense and relying on counters. When Susanne Moberg scored their first goal after 20 minutes, Kristianstad could count four shots on goal against Djurgården's none. Sofie Persson and Vlora Bajraktaraj dominated in midfield, with Persson being the architect behind Kristianstad's offensive, feeding attackers Moberg and Frida Pettersson with deep passes to run with. Djurgården's defense were repeatedly overrun and you couldn't see that they had two seasoned internationals (Hingst and Thunebro) in the back line.
Goalscorer Moberg had to leave already after half an hour with what turned out to be a minor muscle tear, but that didn't hamper the home team's play. Shortly before the break Bajraktaraj caught a stray ball just outside the area and served Frida Pettersson, who ran past Djurgården's Angerer and scored in an open goal. After the recess Kristianstad continued to stand up well, encouraged by the record crowd at Vilans IP, and it wasn't until the last 20 minutes that Djurgården could take command. They had reduced with a Victoria Svensson penalty kick (too much wrestling from a Kristianstad defender in a corner kick shuffle) and hunted for at least an equaliser. A tired Kristianstad defense still managed to fend them off and when keeper Maria Edman blocked a Victoria Svensson shot from close distance in the last minutes, the sensational result was a fact.
The Kristianstad side was, understandably, extremely happy with everything after the match. Djurgården's Anders Johansson on the other side was, equally understandable, very disappointed and called his team's approach "naive", which might be translated to "hugely underestimating". They lost a lot of balls trying to short-pass in midfield and the defense was slow and badly organized. Kristianstad journalists have been working hard to find different ways to enjoy the win and, let's not forget that, gloat. One of them calculated that Djurgården fielded 9 internationals with 422 matches experience. Kristianstad had 25 caps, all belonging to Icelandic midfielder Erla Arnadottir.
Kristianstadsbladet: Skräll och rekord för KDFF, Nytt publikrekord - 2 225 på Vilans IP, "Vi var naiva", pictures
Training matches: Nobis steps up
Umeå Södra FF - Alviks IK 7 - 0 (3-0)
Umeå Södra: Jessica Lundberg - Anna Rehn, Petra Vaelma, Moa Westermark (46 Kristin Åberg), Ragna Lestander (60 Maria Lundqvist) - Vanessa Mångsén, Emma Sundberg, Hanna Folkesson (46 Elia Sormunen), Anna Forss (46 Patricia Hägglund) - Terese Andersson (60 Victoria Forsmark), Jennifer Nobis
Goals: 1-0 Hanna Folkesson (10), 2-0 Vanessa Mångsén (11), 3-0 Jennifer Nobis (33), 4-0 Jennifer Nobis (47), 5-0 Maria Lundqvist (65), 6-0 Vanessa Mångsén (74), 7-0 Elina Sormunen (89)
Umeå Södra took a very convincing victory over 1st division side Alvik. New signing Jennifer Nobis and midfielder Anna Forss impressed most.
Västerbottens Folkblad: Umeå Södra vann övertygande
Women's Cup semifinal: Lyon arrives and Hanna Ljungberg still ill
Västerbottenskuriren: Sjukt inför Lyon - oklart om Ulla-Karin vaktar målet
Lyon arrived on Friday at noon, coming on a chartered jet directly from Lyon, and getting picked up by their team bus. The entire squad is reported to be healthy and fit and trained on Umeå's artificial turf field yesterday afternoon.
Västerbottens Folkblad: Lyon på plats i Umeå
Umeå IK's coach Andrée Jeglertz said at the official press conference, that even if Umeå had the upper hand after the match in Lyon, Umeå will not chose to hold back and try to defend - they never do that. Instead Jeglertx pointed out a few key details in their play, among those giving better support to the full-backs when Lyon advances on the wings, higher and more aggressive defense and more movement in the attack.
Västerbottens Folkblad: Jeglertz surnade till på sena fransyskor
Lyon's flexing of their financial muscles - chartering a jet to take them directly from Lyon to Umeå and driving the (empty) team bus all the way from France (some 2500 kilometers one-way) just to take care of the local transports in Umeå - has impressed a lot in Umeå. Umeå's manager Roland Arnqvist even commented that this predicts the future of women's football in Europe and thus the downfall of the Swedish dominance: "When one of the big clubs commits themselves like this, it's only a matter of time before others follows", he said. Umeå IK operates on a budget between SEK 10-15 millions, a normal wage for an average male player in the big European clubs. They have resources that Umeå cannot compete with. Arnquist continues "When this happens, we will be standing on the platform, watching the train leave. And I don't think that day is that far away". He still doesn't think that is a bad thing: "Even if it will be harder for Damallsvenskan to compete internationally, it will be good for the sport."
Västerbottenskuriren: Storklubbarna ett hot mot damallsvenskan
Venue set for Sweden - USA match in July
The Swedish Football Association has decided to give the assignment to host the friendly between Sweden and USA on July 5 to Skellefteå. The match will be played at Norvalla, a stadium that Sunnanå calls home and everyone else calls way up north.
Sunnanå's marketer Roger Fransson calls the event "the biggest thing that has happened in football on these latitudes" and Skellefteå can also boast an all-wins record for the Swedish national team at Norvalla.
Norra Västerbotten: "Vi siktar på rekord"
The last pre-season friendly
Bälinge:
AIK: Sofia Lundgren - Linda Lekander, Linda Sembrant, Frida Höglund, Sofia Simonsson - Louise Fors, Anne Mäkinen, Elin Ekblom Bak, Emma Lundh - Kathryn Gill, Lisa De Vanna
Goals: 1-0 Emma Jonsson, 1-1 Annica Sjölund, 1-2 Lisa De Vanna
After an anything but reassuring pre-season, Bälinge's young team made a really good performance when they hosted high-flying AIK. AIK had most of the possession and particulary in the second half pressed hard against Bälinge's goal, but Bälinge's newly formed defense with among others American Natalie Spilger and former forward Emma Lindqvist seems to be turning out well.
Upsala Nya Tidning: Positivt i Bälinge trots förlust
Umeå wins again, says experts
50 % of those present at the big annual Damallsvenskan kick-off event last Tuesday expected Umeå IK to retain their Swedish championship with Linköping (17 %) and LDB FC Malmö (12 %) as closest competitors. I would say that the most surprising here is that only 50 % voted for Umeå.
The voters, Damallsvenskan coaches, players, managers, journalists and assorted hangers-on, also voted for most likely to end up last . Another Umeå, Umeå Södra FF, is destined for relegation if you want to believe the figures, winning 39 % of the votes. Runners-up Kristianstad (31 %) and Bälinge (19 %).
And if you want to wager any money on who wins the championship, bet365.com has these odds:
| Umeå IK | 1.60 | |
| Linköpings FC | 4.00 | |
| LdB FC Malmö | 6.00 | |
| Djurgården | 13.00 | |
| Kopparbergs/Göteborg | 19.00 | |
| AIK | 23.00 | |
| KIF Örebro DFF | 51.00 | |
| Bälinge | 201.00 | |
| Sunnanå SK | 201.00 | |
| Hammarby IF DFF | 201.00 | |
| Kristianstads DFF | 501.00 | |
| Umeå Södra FF | 1001.00 |
Svensk Fotboll: Tipsen till UIK igen
The last minutes signings
AIK: Lisa De Vanna klar för AIK!
AIK also signed De Vanna's Australia teammate Kate Gill, a 23 years old forward with 25 goals in 44 matches for the Matildas. Gill makes up an interesting striking partner to the "pocket rocket" De Vanna, as she is 180 cm tall. Gill also joined the team in Germany and played against Duisburg.
AIK: AIK värvar Kathryn Gill
With this piling up of foreign forwards, AIK's Freja Egebrant made the decision to take an offer to play for her old club IFK Gävle in the 1st division. Egebrant, who played 19 matches for AIK last year, will play with Gävle until the next transfer window opens in July. She and AIK, that wants to keep her, will then re-evaluate the situation.
Gävle Dagblad: Freja tillbaka i IFK
Bälinge 21 years old full-back Linn Fors, capped at youth level, has decided to leave her club and join 1st division side Bollstanäs SK (the club where former national team midfielder Linda Fagerström still is playing retirement football).
Damfotboll.com: Bälingespelare till Bollstanäs
Newcomers Kristianstad has reinforced their squad with two late signings. First Scotland international Ifeoma Dieke, who as earlier predicted here, signed a six month contract and will arrive April 12. The second new player is American Kia McNeill, a college player with national youth team experience, that just like Dieke can play both attack and defense. McNeill is currently at Boston College and will join the team after graduation in May, also on a six month contract. Tanja Pihlblad, an old Kristianstad player who has worked as a college coach in New England, has helped in the scouting and also been in touch with USA youth national team coach Tony di Ciccio about McNeill.
Kristianstadsbladet: McNeal och Dieke förstärker
And these signings has been official for quite some time, but it has been reported that both Umeå Södra's Jennifer Nobis and Sunnanå's Perpetua Nkwocha now has arrived to their clubs. It's getting close to kick-off time!
UEFA Women's Cup: Umeå draws Lyon
Umeå: Ulla-Karin Rönnlund - June Pedersen (81 Emma Berglund), Karolina Westberg, Johanna Frisk, Anna Paulson - Frida Östberg, Lisa Dahlkvist, Mami Yamaguchi (70 Ramona Bachmann) - Johanna Rasmussen, Madelaine Edlund, Marta
Goals: 1-0 Madeleine Edlund (57), 1-1 Louisa Necib (71)
Attendance: 12,375
Umeå IK's management had before the match claimed that there was no way they would underestimate Lyon. It still looked like this hadn't really stuck with the team. Season-wise, Umeå is still sipping their morning coffe and they looked a bit slow and unorganized in the beginning. Already after a couple of minutes Lyon's Hoda Lataff had a beamer in the crossbar and Lyon repeatedly came through on Anna Paulsson's right side. It took Umeå maybe the first twenty minutes to get their act together and stand up to the hosts. They began to get the play to the centre of the court, where Lisa Dahlqvist and Frida Östberg began to win balls and start attacks.
Lyon was throughout the match dangerous in the offensive with players like Nécib, Lattaf and Katia. For Umeå Madeleine Edlund worked extremely hard in the offense, while Marta was comparatively invisible, often double-team by the French defense. Both sides created a lot of chances and both Bente Nordby in Lyon's goal and her Swedish counter-part Ulla-KArin Rönnlund showed their best side.
Umeå's leader came after 58 minutes, when Marta showed vision, speed and skill as she raced up a ball, that the French defender just tried to guard as it rolled towards the end-line, caught it, turned her defender and served an unmarked Edlund a perfect pass. Lyon seemed a bit taken, but coach Benstiti made an offensive substitution and Lyon could equalise with a goal from the excellent Nécib.
Umeå expressed satisfaction with the result after the game: a draw and an important away goal gives them the upper hand as the two teams meet again at Umeå next weekend. Coach Jeglertz thought that Lyon looked better, but that his own team created more chances. Lyon's Benstiti on his side pointed out that his team drew against Arsenal too in the home leg, but defeated them away. They can do that against Umeå too.
SVT: Fördel Umeå IK inför returen
Västerbottens Folkblad: Umeå IK har bra läge inför returen
Västerbottenskuriren: Madde tröttkörd målskytt, En seger för fotbollen enligt tränarna
Training matches: Schelin and Scasna back from injury
Kristianstad: Maria Edman (Sandra Wahldén) - Johanna Jönsson, Maria Åhlund, Johanna Rosén, Carolin Ericsson - Therese Björck, Erla Arnardóttir, Sofie Persson, Angelique Sandberg (10 Vlora Bajraktaraj) - Frida Petersson, Susanne Moberg
Bälinge:
Goals: 0-1 Emma Jonsson, 0-2 Linda Blom, 1-2 Erla Arnardottir, 2-2 Frida Pettersson, 2-3 Julia Lyckberg (PK)
On training camp in southern Sweden, Bälinge played local newcomers Kristianstad. Bälinge opened with two fast goals in textbook fashion: a cross to one of the wings, down to the endline and a pass back centre to an on-rushing forward. "We're not used to that kind of efficiency", commented Kristianstad's defender Johanna Rosén. But they learned, got better and showed that they at least will be able to be a competitor for the places just above the relegation line.
The match also saw several unfortunate injuries. Kristianstad's important midfielder Angelique Sandberg had to leave already after a few minutes with a knee injury, that will keep her out for six to eight weeks. Bälinge's American Noelle Keselica suffered a similar injury, but less severe. Both she and fellow American Joanna Lohman, who has back problems and couldn't play against Kristianstad, will miss out Bälinge's last training match against AIK on Thursday.
Upsala Nya Tidning: Skadechocken: Keselica knäskadad
Kristianstadsbladet: Nyckelspelare knäskadad, "Klicken" missar den allsvenska premiären
Glasgow City - KIF Örebro 1 - 5 (0-3)
Örebro:
Goals: Hanna Pettersson (2), Caroline Näfver, Lena Puuranen, Marina Pettersson
"We were better prepared this time", said Örebro's coach Richard Holmlund. "We knew how they would meet us and acted accordingly", he explained Örebro's bigger win in the second meeting with Glasgow. But the result might also be explained by Glasgow being forced to field several under 17's, to cover for unavailable players. Damfotboll.com: Glasgow City - KIF Örebro 1-5 (0-3)
Glasgow City FC: Orebro City partnership takes shape
Kopparbergs/Göteborg - Gais P16 3 - 4 (2-1)
Göteborg: Sandra Bjurteg - Marlene Sjöberg (68 Maria Nilsson), Jenny Hallstensson, Jane Törnqvist, Amelie Rybäck - Ingvild Stensland, Johanna Almgren, Maria Karlsson (68 Lisa Ek) - Sofie Andersson (46 Lotta Schelin), Sara Lindén, Emmelie Farfa
Goals: 1-0 Sara Lindén (3), 2-1 Ingvild Stensland (44), 3-4 Lotta Schelin (90)
Yet another boy-game, this time against 16 year olds. A close match, where the result could have gone either way.
Lotta Schelin was back again after a few weeks nursing a thigh injury and seemed to be in her old goal-scoring form again.
Göteborg FC: Förlust mot GAIS
LDB FC Malmö - Jitex BK 1 - 0 (0-0)
Malmö: Stéphanie Öhrström - Emelie Ölander, Malin Levenstad, Emma Wilhelmsson, Lina Nilsson - Therese Sjögran, Emma Stålhammar (65 Dora Stefansdottir), Nilla Fischer, Therese Lundin (65 Pavlina Scasna), Manon Melis (65 Aylin Yaren) - Maria Aronsson (55 Frida Nordin)
Goals: 1-0 Therese Sjögran (50)
Jitex, one of the tipped promotion contenders in the 1st division, looked good, particulary in defense, while Malmö seemed a bit slow and unfocused. But dress rehearsals aren't usually very good, comforted coach Jörgen Pettersson himself.
Pavlina Scasna got almost 30 minutes, showed some good moves and looked very happy: "I haven't played for five months and four days". She is still not completely restored after her ACL tear last fall, and will probably not play full 90 minute matches for a while longer, but that is just a fitness issue.
LDB FC: Vinden ställde till det i genrepet pictures
Sydsvenskan: Pavlina Scasna fick debutera