United beats Porto 1-0 to reach semis

Manchester United has advanced to the semifinals of the Champions League following a 1-0 victory against FC Porto at Dragao stadium. The World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo silenced the home crowd by scoring the opener after six minutes on Wednesday night. The Portuguese star took a swing of his right foot and unleashed an unstoppable shot from 35-yards into the top left-hand corner of Helton's goal. "That was maybe one of my best strikes," Ronaldo said. "Anderson gave me the ball and when I turned I knew I was going to go for a shot. It was intentional." The United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was in awe of Ronaldo's outstanding goal. "It was unbelievable. It was a magnificent hit," Ferguson said. "To do it at that point in the game gave us a real platform to go into the game," he added. "We wanted to start the game quickly with good tempo ... but to get a start like that, no one can expect it, no one can expect that type of goal." The two teams drew 2-2 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter final tie at Old Trafford on April 7. Ferguson's men must now face English rival Arsenal in the semifinals after the Gunners beat Villarreal 3-0 to advance 4-1 on aggregate. Chelsea will meet Barcelona for the other place in the May 27 final in Rome. "It's two good football teams so it should be a fantastic semifinal," Ferguson said. "We'll look forward to it."