Ljungberg back in the groove

Holders Umeå IK and their Swedish rivals Djurgården/Alvsjö both secured big wins in the first set of 2004/05 UEFA Women's Cup second qualifying round matches.

Ljungberg scores four
Umeå, in Group B1 - which like all the other pools will supply two quarter-finalists after three rounds of matches - stormed to a 7-1 win against Slovenia's ŽNK KRKA Novo Mesto in Nis. Hanna Ljungberg missed the bulk of Umeå's successful defence last season but she returned with a vengeance today as she scored four times in the first half, Sofia Eriksson also on target as Umeå led 5-0 at the break. Biljana Jovanovic pulled one back on 66 minutes but Maria Makowska's own goal and a strike from teenager Maria Nordbrandt - on for Ljungberg - completed the victory. Elsewhere in the group, Serbo-Montenegrin hosts ZFK Mašinac-Classic Niš drew 0-0 with FC Bobruichanka of Belarus.

Arsenal held
Djurgården/Alvsjö, who beat Umeå to last season's Swedish title, are staging Group B2 in Stockholm and their competition debut was a 5-0 victory against Greece's AE Aegina. Marijke Callebaut opened the scoring on 26 minutes, and American striker Venus James doubled the lead six minutes into the second period. Kristin Bengtsson made it 3-0 seven minutes later, before an Evangelia Brisimi own goal and another James effort followed in swift succession. In the other Group B2 game, 2002/03 semi-finalists Arsenal LFC had to come from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Spain's Athletic Club, Ciara Grant securing the point with an 87th-minute penalty.

Potsdam cruise
Three-time finalists and inaugural winners 1. FFC Frankfurt were denied entry this season by 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, and the new German champions proved their worth by overcoming Group B3 rivals Montpellier HSC 6-0 on home soil. It was 3-0 by the 14-minute mark with two goals from Conny Pohlers and one by Viola Odebrecht. Navina Omilade added another just after the break. Pohlers completed her hat-trick on 64 minutes and 19-year-old Anja Mittag claimed the sixth. Torres Terra Sarda, representing Italy, also showed fine form, defeating Poland's KS AZS Wroclaw 5-0, Chiara Gazzoli and Merete Pedersen both scoring twice and Elisabetta Tona adding the other.

Norwegian joy
In Group B4, two-time quarter-finalists SK Trondheims-Ørn lead the way after beating Alma KTZH 3-0. The Norwegian side took the lead through Ann Iren Morkued on 37 minutes and the Kazakhstani tournament debutants fell further behind in the last five minutes with goals from Ragnhild Gulbrandsen and substitute Heidi Pedersen. Danish group hosts Brøndby IF, semi-finalists last season, took a 29th-minute lead against FC Energy Voronezh thanks to Catherine Sørensen, but as added time approached Nataliya Zinchenko equalised to give the Russian side a 1-1 draw.

Further fixtures
The second set of fixtures in all mini-tournaments are on Thursday, with the deciders played two days later. All four quarter-finals will be played over two legs in October and November.