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Real advantage

Madrid takes control with 2-0 semifinal win at Barcelona

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- Second-half goals by the world's most expensive soccer player Zinedine Zidane and substitute Steve McManaman earned Real Madrid a 2-0 away win over arch-rival FC Barcelona on Tuesday in the Champions League semifinal first leg at the Camp Nou.

The victory establishes eight-time winner Madrid as firm favorite to reach the final of Europe's top competition on May 15 at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland.

Zidane scored in the 55th minute and McManaman netted in injury time to silence the partisan 90,000 crowd while Madrid gave an excellent defensive display to keep Barcelona at bay.

The second leg of the first pairing of the Spanish powerhouses in Europe's top competition for 42 years takes place at the Bernabeu stadium on May 1.

Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen play their first leg of the other semifinal at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

"Barcelona made a huge effort and played some good soccer, but like so many other times this season, we knew the right moment to strike. It was a semifinal worthy of the Champions League," Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque said.

Barcelona coach Carles Rexach praised his side's first-half display.

"The final result does not give a true reflection of the game. We played well before halftime, we were aggressive and Madrid hardly had a shot at goal," he said.

With five players missing, including Brazilian forward Rivaldo, Rexach began the match with just three recognized defenders.

Barcelona's Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert served notice of the home side's intent when his shot was parried by Madrid goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez in the eighth minute.

With Madrid's early ball possession greeted by howls of whistling, Barcelona surged forward in the early stages and former Madrid midfielder Luis Enrique Martinez headed onto the bar from Fabio Rochemback's corner in the 12th minute.

But Vicente del Bosque's team, lacking Portuguese midfielder Luis Figo and injured striker Fernando Morientes, responded immediately and home goalkeeper Roberto Bonano had to be quick the thwart star striker Raul Gonzalez.

The Catalan team's good approach play was absorbed by Madrid's solid defensive work although the away side also created danger mainly through foraging runs by Brazilian international left back Roberto Carlos.

As the early cut and thrust of the match disappeared, Zidane was cautioned for a foul on Rochemback in the 30th minute and right back Michel Salgado followed him seven minutes later for flooring left winger Marc Overmars.

The second half began with Barcelona again trying to force the pace although its shooting was limited to tame long-range efforts.

Zidane delivered the deadly blow 10 minutes into the second half when a quick-thinking Raul found the French international just onside and, even though his shot was partially stopped by Bonano, the ball trickled into the net.

Chances quickly occurred at both ends with Luis Enrique just wide with a 57th-minute header and Madrid striker Jose Maria "Guti" Gutierrez putting a clear chance just wide two minutes later.

However, Barcelona never recovered from Zidane's goal and, with Madrid growing stronger, Argentine midfielder Santiago Solari and then Zidane spurned good chances to increase Madrid's lead in the 77th minute.

"When we went a goal down, we had to take more risks and that's how the second goal arrived," Rexach said.

McManaman, an 80th-minute substitute for Guti, was able to chip over the advancing Bonano in injury time to compound Barcelona woes and leave Madrid sitting pretty.

"In the return leg, we mustn't start thinking about how to protect the result. We can only one play and that's to attack," Del Bosque said.

Rexach accepted that the semifinal will be hard to retrieve.

"It is more difficult after conceding the second goal but nothing is impossible," he said.

Summary

Barcelona 0 Real Madrid 2 - result

Champions league semifinal, first leg

Scorers: Zinedine Zidane 55, Steve McManaman 90

Halftime: 0-0; Attendance: 98,000

Teams:

Barcelona: 1-Roberto Bonano; 2-Michael Reiziger (22-Giovanni 60), 3-Frank de Boer, 5-Abelardo (17-Philippe Christanval 73); 15-Fabio Rochemback, 8-Philip Cocu, 28-Thiago Motta (18-Gabri 82), 21-Luis Enrique; 9-Patrick Kluivert, 11-Marc Overmars, 7-Javier Saviola

Real Madrid: 13-Cesar; 2-Michel Salgado, 4-Fernando Hierro, 31-Francisco Pavon, 3-Roberto Carlos; 24-Claude Makelele, 6-Ivan Helguera; 5-Zinedine Zidane, 21-Santiago Solari (16-Flavio Conceicao 89); 7-Raul, 14-Guti (8-Steve McManaman 80)

Referee: Anders Frisk (Sweden)