Berlin, April 27: For the first time under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United have managed to beat a German opposition in a two-legged match. The English Premier League club outclassed Bundes Liga side Schalke 04 2-0 in the Champions League semi-final first leg on April 26.

Never before has the EPL giants managed to beat a German opposition in a two-leg contest.

Had it not been for the heroics of Schalke goal-keeper Manuel Neur who did brilliantly in the first half, the score-line would have appeared more emphatic for Manchester United. But two goals in two minutes in the second-half ensured that United beat the deadlock as well as the jinx.

For United, the stars of the match were Ryan Giggs and the temparemental Wayne Rooney. Giggs was the first to score in the 67th minute when he converted a brilliant pass from Rooney to a goal. Rooney, repeated the heroics within the next few seconds and scored the second goal.

Schalke now face a herculean task of going into the second leg of the semi-final at Old Trafford next week. The eventual winner of the two-leg contest will take on either Real Madrid or Barcelona in the Champions League finals on May 28.

In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, Giggs said, "I thought if we kept creating chances one would go in. We created enough chances in the first half to be four or five up."

OneIndia News