Rome, April 2:

Goal scorers Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney notched up a 2-0 victory at Roma on Tuesday to virtually assure Manchester United’s berth in the Champions League semi-finals while teenage striker Bojan Krkic gave Barcelona the initiative in their 1-0 win over Schalke 04.

United showed they could still dominate the Italians following last season’s 8-3 aggregate triumph at the same stage of the competition with a stylish and clinical display.

In 39 minutes United produced a move of majestic quality, switching the ball around the edge of the Roma box and transferring it from left to right before Paul Scholes crossed for Ronaldo to come steaming in like a train to out jump Marco Cassetti and thump home a header.

United scored a crucial second goal in the 66th minute as Park headed a deep cross from Wes Brown back across goal and Rooney mopped up the loose ball after goalkeeper Doni and Panucci impeded each other. Moments later Ronaldo had a shot deflected onto the outside of the post as United threatened to run riot.

In Gelsenkirchen, Krkic, who will not turn 18 at the end of August, struck in the 12th minute with a valuable away goal to put the Spanish giants firmly in the driving seat for next Wednesday’s second leg at the Nou Camp stadium. The goal came after a dream pass from Spanish international Xavi Hernandez split open Schalke’s defence. Thierry Henry seized the chance and fired at Schalke’s keeper Manuel Neuer who parried the shot, but Henry snatched the re-bound and slid a pass to teenager Krkic to bury his shot in the top of the net.

Schalke immediately worked hard to get back in the game but strikers Gerald Asamoah and Kevin Kuranyi could only manage four first-half shots on goal, despite the Germans having more possession in the first-half. Schalke have not reached the last eight of Europe’s elite club competition for almost five decades, but now face a mountain to climb for next week’s return leg as the second-half proved as fruitless as the first.

Germany striker Kuranyi is a concern for next week’s second-leg after he was taken off after 60 minutes after struggling with a virus. Both Asamoah and Turkey striker Halil Altintop went perilously close to forcing the equaliser within minutes of each other at the 70 minute mark, but Barcelona’s defence held firm.

The second leg will be played at Barcelona’s Camp Nou on 9 April and the home side are now overwhelming favourites to make the semi-finals in their bid to repeat their 2006 Champions League win.