Giggs satisfied with European efforts

Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs has hailed his team’s swift progression to the Champions League knockout stages.

United fought back from a goal down to beat Portuguese outfit Braga 3-1 on Wednesday, with goals from Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez maintaining their 100 percent record in Group H.

United bowed out of the Champions League at the group stage last season and Giggs is delighted with his side’s response in 2012/13, securing passage to the next phase with two pool matches remaining.

“We were all disappointed (last season),” he told Sky Sports.

“It wasn’t good enough. We knew we had to do something about it and we have.

“We hope this continues now. We’re in good form, both in the league and the Champions League, so we have to carry it on now.”

United’s victory at Braga was far from routine, with Jonny Evans conceding a penalty early in the second half which was duly thumped home by Alan before a floodlight failure caused a 10-minute delay.

When the action got back underway, United were gifted an equaliser when opposition goalkeeper Beto rushed out to clear a long ball forward, only for Van Persie to show composure and quick thinking to whip the ball into the empty net.

Giggs praised the impact of the second-half substitute: “Robin gets one chance and he puts it away.

“He’s just scoring goals for fun at the moment. With the form he’s in, his confidence is high and I think everyone knew he was going to score.”