BELGIAN international forward Marc Wilmots 30-yard shot gave German side Schalke 04 a surprise a surprise win over Italian giants Inter Milan in the first leg of the UEFA Cup final in Gelsenkirchen last night.

The German side, who won the last of their seven national titles ensured that they finished with an unblemished home record in the UEFA Cup - it was their sixth successive win and did not concede a goal.

The 28-year-old Wilmots 71st minute effort, his fifth of the campaign, was a welcome sight for the 56,000 fans as they had endured a first-half bereft of clear shooting chances and a grim midfield battle.

However Schalke bidding for their first European trophy and their first piece of silverware since the 1972 German Cup, were the more determined side, trying to push forward with short, precise passes but ultimately coming up against Inter's compact four-man defence.

Schalke captain Olaf Thon, who normally plays sweeper, was given free rein by coach Huub Stevens to play where he wished and regularly fed his forwards with creative balls from the halfway line.

Stevens knew that he must enter the second leg match in Milan with at least a one-goal cushion from the home leg but emphasised calm and patience to his side during his half time address, urging them to wait for their chance.

The turning point came in the 67th minute when Schalke brought on striker Martin Max, who had not played in the previous month because of torn ankle ligaments.

With all eyes concentrated on the new man, Wilmots took advantage of a lapse in Inter's concentration. In the 71st minute he won the ball in midfield and ham me red the ball past former Italian national keeper Gianluca Pagliuca, after he had noticed that the Inter man was off his line.

Inter coach Roy Hodgson, who is due to leave at the end of the season to join Blackburn Rovers, was not upset byu the result. I'm pretty optimistic about winning it at home. We were missing three important players in Ince, Djorkaeff and Angloma, and with their return in the second leg we should be able to turn the tables in the San Siro," Hodgson said.

Stevens was realistic about the victory and the task that lay ahead. We've got no more than one palm on the Cup. It's half-time, we've still got 90 minutes to go in Milan and perhaps extra-time. We will have to concentrate very hard," Stevens said.