Manchester United Wins

CARDIFF, Wales — Manchester United won the FA Cup on Saturday, beating Millwall, 3-0, behind two second-half goals by Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Goalkeeper Tim Howard of the U.S. also was supported by an opening goal from 18-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo to help Manchester United win the showcase game of English soccer for the 11th time.

“For me, it is awesome to win a cup and get a medal in my first year,” Howard said. “It is a good feeling, better than advertised.”

After losing the English Premier League title to Arsenal and losing in the Champions League, Coach Alex Ferguson’s team was able to end the season with the victory.

It was United’s first FA Cup title since 1999, when it also won the European Cup and the Premier League. The Reds already held the record for the most FA Cup victories, and they tied Arsenal’s record of 16 appearances in the final in the 132 years of the world’s oldest club knockout competition.

Millwall, an English first division team, was playing in its first FA Cup final and was the first finalist outside the top division since 1992. It can take consolation in earning a place next season in the UEFA Cup, Europe’s second-tier club competition.

Howard was the first American to win an FA Cup final. The only other American to play in the final was John Harkes, whose Sheffield Wednesday team lost to Arsenal in 1993.

In front of 71,350 in Millennium Stadium, Van Nistelrooy made a penalty kick in the 65th minute and scored his second goal in the 81st minute.