Fantastic Frankfurt stun Potsdam

1. FFC Frankfurt turned the tables on arch-rivals 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam with a spectacular 4-0 away win in the first leg of the UEFA Women's Cup final. They ran riot with a superb display of attacking football, with two goals from Renate Lingor and one each from Sandra Albertz and Kerstin Garefrekes leaving Potsdam's hopes of a treble hanging by a thread.

'Highway to hell'
The sound of rock band AC/DC blaring from the home dressing room before kick-off suggested that Potsdam meant business, but they soon found themselves on a 'highway to hell' as they were out-fought and outthought by the visitors. The defending European champions were left stunned in front of a packed home crowd, and need a dramatic turnaround if they are to add to their Bundesliga and German Cup titles.

Swerving free-kick
After Conny Pohlers saw an early effort ruled out for offside it was all Frankfurt. Potsdam defender Navina Omilade saw yellow for a tackle from behind and although Lingor's inswinging delivery was cleared, she soon got another crack following a clumsy challenge on Birgit Prinz. The Frankfurt No10 unleashed a spectacular effort from 22 metres that dipped and bent, crashing in off the left upright.

Pohlers threat
It could soon have been two, when a long clearance set Sandra Smisek away, but she was denied as Inken Becher dispossessed her with a brilliant goal-saving tackle. At the other end, Ariane Hingst's stabbed effort found only the gloves of Ursula Holl, but the Frankfurt onslaught resumed when a misdirected defensive header by Becher left Smisek one-on-one with Angerer. The Potsdam keeper made a superb save with her legs and only her acrobatic intervention late in the half denied Lingor's ambitious bending effort from wide on the left.

Referee injured
Bernd Schröder drew on the wisdom of 35 years coaching experience in his half-time team talk and his side came out transformed. Frankfurt's Tina Wunderlich was booked for a foul on the marauding Anja Mittag and soon after Carlson overlapped down the left and crossed to the feet of Pohlers, whose low shot brought another smart stop from Holl. The game was halted as Swedish referee Eva Oedlund pulled up injured, to be replaced by compatriot Susanne Borg, and the stoppage killed Potsdam's momentum.

Travelling support
Frankfurt's 100-strong pocket of travelling support was sent into raptures on 64 minutes when Prinz released Louise Hansen down the right, and the Dane's cross presented Albertz with a chance that she converted at the second attempt. It was nearly three with 20 minutes to go, when Smisek sent in a looping header that Angerer could only claw on to the upright.

Defensive chaos
There was nothing the Potsdam keeper could do on 77 minutes when Prinz cut inside and thumped a shot against the angle of post and bar, which ricocheted back and bounced in off the unwitting but delighted Garefrekes. Lingor then rubbed salt in the Potsdam wounds, waltzing through a shell-shocked back line to bring wild celebrations from coach Hans-Jürgen Tritschoks. He will be quick to remind his players there is still the matter of next week's second leg, but on this form it is hard to see anything halting Frankfurt's march to their second UEFA Women's Cup title.

Attendance: 4,431