Duisburg realise European dream

"Sensational." That was the word used by FCR 2001 Duisburg coach Martina Voss after her side defeated Olympique Lyonnais 3-1 to reach the UEFA Women's Cup final at the first attempt.

Lyon defeated
The German club had given themselves hope with a 1-1 draw in France last week, and in Sunday's second leg, two goals from Inka Grings put them in command. Although Elodie Thomis pulled one back, Linda Bresonik's penalty early in the second half ensured Duisburg will be off to Russia to face fellow European debutants Zvezda-2005 in the first leg of the final on 16 May before staging the return seven days later.

Dream come true
"We have achieved something sensational," Voss said. "We have dreamed about this, and today it came true. It was clear this competition would be a new experience compared with the Bundesliga, where we were favourites. We were not the favourites here. Maybe we do not handle being favourites well. We played an imposing game and deservedly won. We capitalised on Lyon's mistakes in defence and did not let them play to their strengths in attack. We don't care at all who we are up against in the final. The important thing is that we are there. Now we want to take that last step and win it."

'Doesn't get much better'
Germany striker Grings, who has spent her entire career at Duisburg, has taken superbly to European club competition with nine goals in her first season in this tournament. The 30-year-old said: "I think it really doesn't get much better than today. We performed exactly the way we had planned. We wanted to be focused and aggressive and it makes me even more happy that it worked out. This is one of the biggest moments of my career. Had someone told us last summer that we would reach the final, we would not have believed them. It has not even sunk in now that it has come true."