Schröder shares Potsdam joy

By Andreas Alf in Potsdam

1. FFC Turbine Potsdam coach Bernd Schröder had tears in his eyes as he praised his players after they had defeated Djurgården/Älvsjö 3-1 on Saturday to win the UEFA Women's Cup 5-1 on aggregate. The 62-year-old, who founded the German club over 30 years ago, was honoured for his achievements by German Football Association (DFB) president Theo Zwanziger who saw goals from Petra Wimbersky and Conny Pohlers (two) seal a comprehensive victory. On Saturday, Potsdam were already 2-0 up inside eight minutes when Kristin Bengtsson scored Djurgården/Älvsjö's only goal. Pohlers, however, added her second of the game on 18 minutes to quash all hopes of a comeback.

Bernd Schröder, Turbine Potsdamcoach
We have achieved something we cannot really understand right now. This success is so massive we might not realise it for a few days at the earliest. Europe has seen two great final matches - and a very impressive and enthusiastic crowd here at Potsdam today. I think this will be tough to top by any team over the next years. I cannot believe it. We have not lost any games in Europe and we drew only once. I am so proud of my players who did a great and an impressive job. I will not step down now because we have got a plan and we will continue to work for that. I promised we would win the UEFA Cup and we have done it. Now I promise we will beat 1. FFC Frankfurt next weekend in the German Cup final.

Mikael Söderman, Djurgården/Älvsjö coach
They proved to be the better team and they deserve the glory. We really thought we could turn the tide but the beginning of the match finished almost everything. This was not our plan. We learned a lot in those two matches because we were faced with a completely different style of football from what we are used to back home. We gained experience and we will do a better job against them in the finals next year. Turbine did a great job in two fantastic matches in Stockholm and Potsdam. I think this was an advertisement for women's football. But we are not completely frustrated now. We will cheer with them - we think they are worthy champions."

Ariane Hingst, Turbine Potsdam captain
"Everything is absolutely fantastic. We did not expect such a clear win; we haven't even dreamed about this glory. This is simply the most thrilling feeling you can get at club level in our sport. I might not be able to sleep over the next two days. They never gave up. I respect them fully. They are a very good side. I will never forget these moments. We struggled in the domestic league this season and could not defend our championship title but we have won another title for our fans - an even bigger one."

Theo Zwanziger, DFB president
"Schröder is a great personality of German football and he has given a lot to women's football in our country. This is why I want to honour him with the certification for special efforts and achievements of the DFB. The whole of Germany is very proud of Turbine Potsdam. They have done something really great and they have presented our football perfectly. The team has thrilled everybody who loves football and we are very thankful for that. But if there is success there is always a father of success, too. In this case I can definitely say that Bernd Schröder is the one who made all this possible.