Manchester United outclass Schalke in 2-0 stroll

Ryan Giggs

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany, (Reuters) – Manchester  United outclassed Schalke 04 in a one-sided Champions League  semi-final first leg yesterday, with goals from Ryan Giggs and  Wayne Rooney securing a 2-0 win for the English side.

Wayne Rooney

United’s assured victory would have been far more emphatic  but for a brilliant first-half display from Schalke goalkeeper  Manuel Neuer.  The German keeper performed heroics to keep the game  scoreless going into the break before two goals in two minutes  settled matters.

Giggs broke the deadlock after 67 minutes from a brilliant  Rooney pass and the England international turned scorer almost  immediately, firing in from a similar position.

“I thought if we kept creating chances one would go in,”  Giggs told Sky Sports. “We created enough chances in the first  half to be four or five up.”

The result leaves Schalke, playing in their first Champions  League semi-final, facing a mighty task going into the second  leg at Old Trafford next week, with the winner going through to  play Barcelona or Real Madrid in the final at Wembley on May 28.

Ryan Giggs

“We have to accept the fact that they were so much better,”  Schalke defender Christoph Metzelder said.
“Apart from the opening 15 minutes we did not get into this  game at all. But we will give everything we have at Old  Trafford.”

UNITED DOMINATE

United took control of the game from the start, slicing  through the Schalke backline at will with Rooney, Park Ji-sung  and Javier Hernandez all missing early chances.