Zvezda within sight of Women's Cup final

Zvezda-2005's spectacular debut campaign in the UEFA Women's Cup continued as they took a two-goal lead in their semi-final against two-time winners Umeå IK.

Winning run
The Russian champions gained eight victories in as many European fixtures before the winter break and the only survivors from the first qualifying round have now stretched that run to nine. Nataliya Zinchenko and Vera Djatel scored early in each half and although Zvezda played the last 30 minutes with ten players, they ensured Umeå, playing their first European game since the winter departures of star striker Marta, captain Frida Östberg and coach Andrée Jeglertz, were denied an away goal.

Long trip
Perm-based Zvezda took a small band of fans on the 500km trip to Kazan for their first competitive match of 2009 as their hometown ground does not have a UEFA licence, and within nine minutes they were celebrating as Zinchenko dispatched a penalty conceded by Anna Paulson. Umeå, aiming to go one better than their final defeats over the last two seasons and reach their sixth decider overall, responded and Hanna Ljungberg and Madeleine Edlund both went close.

Second goal
However, Zvezda were 2-0 up five minutes into the second half when Djatel turned in Valentina Savchenkova's cross. Savchenkova was sent off on the hour mark, but Umeå had few chances to reduce arrears, other than a late lob just over from Ramona Bachmann. Having seen his side added to Zvezda's list of European scalps, topped by last season's winners 1. FFC Frankfurt, new Umeå coach Mika Sankala will aim to turn the tie next Sunday in Sweden, but he will be without Bachmann after she was booked for the second time in the knockout phase.