Slowly there was the depressing realisation that it was all over. The Treble could not be done, Alex Ferguson would sadly, probably, never win the European Cup now, after this devastating setback. The Bayern end of the Nou Camp was in party mood, a confident noise was building as they prepared to celebrate with their fans cheering every Munich pass. A dramatic camera shot on television showed Alex Ferguson standing barking orders, a lone figure against the towering backdrop of the 3 massive tiers of fans in the Nou Camp. It almost emphasised the size of the task he and his team faced. United were struggling against towering odds. The media no doubt had already prepared their stories and headlines for the next day's papers and websites, about how Ferguson's great team had run out of steam, a bridge too far.

Yet, by 93 minutes the final whistle had blown and Manchester United were the champions of Europe having unbelievably won 2-1, both goals scored by substitutes Sheringham and Solskjaer. The United fans resigned to defeat, now found themselves experiencing the sort of footballing utopia that confirms this game the greatest in the world and Manchester United the greatest team in the world.

It was too much to take in for both sets of fans and players. United fans were delirious yes, but also stunned by it all, as if they were in some bizarre dream in which reality had gone out the window. "It was as if something supernatural had happened" commented Gary Neville afterwards. "I saw the cup on its way down with Bayern's colours on it. Yet two minutes later it was ours" said David Beckham. Perhaps that image motivated him to win the corner that led to the equalising goal?

Amazingly the UEFA President missed both goals, given he was on his way down to present the cup when United equalised and was on his way back to his seat when they scored the winner. Also, United legend George Best left the stadium early, rather than having to witness his team's painful failure. Who knows how many at home switched off the television and missed the unforgettable finale?

Some fans thought that the late Sir Matt Busby looking down on it all, had some hand in it. As if he'd looked at clock on 90 minutes and said "I'm not having this on my birthday" and had a few words with the big man in the white beard to sort things out. When the whistle went it was hard to believe that Manchester United were champions of Europe and that Peter Schmeichel would be going up to get the cup. When your team is losing in injury time the best you can hope for is an equaliser and extra-time, victory is just pretty much unthinkable.

Bayern's fans were in stunned silence, their world had collapsed in 2 minutes 58 seconds from Sheringham's goal to the final whistle. Bayern players lay numb on the pitch, some like Jancker in tears, Kuffour banging his fist on the turf in despair while Matthaus stared on in total disbelief. For the first time in years it was the Germans tasting bitter defeat at the hands of an English team. The United players by contrast were dancing around the pitch on cloud nine. For Solskjaer, a place in history, Sheringham had won it all, Yorke, Stam and Blomqvist had done a treble in their first season, Beckham had shown his doubters and haters, while Peter Schmeichel would leave United on the highest pinnacle of all, as captain of the kings of Europe.

Two of United's finest players Roy Keane and Paul Scholes were suspended leaving Alex Ferguson with a midfield headache. He opted to play Giggs on the right, Blomqvist on the left with Beckham and Butt in the middle. Basler scored after only 5 minutes from a free kick and for the next 85 minutes United huffed and puffed trying to find an equaliser against a frustrating Bayern counter-attacking display. Teddy Sheringham came on as a substitute on 67 minutes, Scholl hit the United bar for Bayern with a clever lob on 78 minutes while Jancker crashed the ball off the United post with an overhead kick on 83.

United were on the edge of an abyss, had either chance gone in they would have been dead and buried. However, the Germans seemed destined not to have any luck on this night and those missed chances would have shattering consequences. In the meantime United had brought on substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer while the Germans took off arguably their two most influential players, Basler and Matthaus and tried to kill the game by shutting up shop. They would live to regret those decisions. For then, suddenly in the last 5 minutes United created chances. Sheringham's header.......saved, Dwight Yorke.......mis-kicked in front of goal, Solskjaer's shot......saved.

With 90 minutes gone, the fourth official's board went up, showing there would be only 3 minutes of injury time. The atmosphere became intense as Beckham drove down the wing and Gary Neville's cross forced a corner. A corner which Effenberg must now wish he'd never needlessly cleared. Peter Schmeichel caused total chaos in the box. The Germans scrambled but failed to clear. It fell to Ryan Giggs who hit a low drive from the edge of the area. But Giggs had scuffed it and the ball seemed to be going wide. That is, until it fell into the path of Teddy Sheringham who swung his right boot to side-foot home from six yards. The Nou Camp erupted and everyone prepared for extra-time, the golden goal and even the dreaded penalties.

However, with the Germans reeling United sensed their destiny was taking shape. Bayern's whole game-plan for 85 minutes was built on that one goal lead, now it was gone and the momentum was with the men of Manchester. Then from nothing, Solskjaer won another corner and a huge roar of expectation from the United fans went up. Beckham swung it in, Sheringham rose above everyone meeting it with a headed flick-on down into the six yard area. And there, was an unmarked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, to hook the ball into the roof of the net with his outstretched right foot and score the most famous goal in Manchester United's long illustrious history.

The Nou Camp has probably never witnessed nor will again the scenes of celebration in the stands and on the pitch that followed. Ole Solskjaer was mobbed by virtually the entire team and those from the bench whilst Schmeichel performed a cartwheel in his goal. Italian referee Collina had to pick some Bayern players up as they still needed to play the remaining few seconds. With barely time to kick-off Bayern launched an aimless ball into the United box, Butt cleared and on 93 minutes and 33 seconds the referee blew for full-time and that was it. United had sensationally come back from the dead to win. Alex Ferguson's two inspired substitutions changed the course of English football history forever. Peter Schmeichel's United career ended in him going up in despair for a corner, and minutes later lifting European football's most famous trophy, as captain of the history making European champions. It doesn't get any more dramatic or better than that. The celebrations went on long into the next morning and the next day the team returned to Manchester where over a million people lined the streets to welcome the men who had done the "impossible" Treble.

Sir Alex Ferguson summed it all up. "The most important factor was the spirit of the team, they just never give in, they don't know how to. A manager can talk about tactics, but if the players can't bring that inner beast out of them then he's wasting his time. Well, they've got that beast inside them and found it when it mattered. People will never forget this team, my 94 Double winning side had a mental toughness about them but this crop are the best, they have proved that.....they are Legends".

MANCHESTER UNITED: Schmeichel, G.Neville, Irwin, Johnsen, Stam, Beckham, Butt, Cole (Solskjaer 81), Giggs, Blomqvist (Sheringham 67), Yorke
Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, May, P. Neville, Brown, Greening

BAYERN MUNICH: Khan, Babbel,Kuffour, Matthaus (Fink 79),Effenberg, Basler (Salihamidzic89), Jeremies, Tarnat, Jancker, Zickler (Scholl 70), Linke
Subs Not Used: Dreher, Helmer, Strunz, Daei. Booked: Effenberg