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 Ferguson thought Man U was beaten
Posted: Monday May 31, 1999 12:23 PM
BARCELONA (Reuters) -- Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson sat there on the sidelines convinced that his club's quest for a triple crown had vanished into the Barcelona night. It's a good thing that his players didn't get that feeling. With two goals in the final three minutes of stoppage time, Man United rallied for an improbable and unbelievable 2-1 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final. "My players never give in," he said. "You always expect they can do something. But this time I thought we were beaten. "It's fantastic. The players are incredible human beings. You can talk what you like about tactics but their spirit is unbelievable." Ferguson said he threw on strikers Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as second half substitutes because he had to take risks after going behind to a sixth minute Bayern goal. Each scored in injury time to turn the match. "I had to gamble anyway," he said. "It's a European final so why not do it? Teddy and Ole paid off." Though Bayern hit the post and crossbar in the second half, Ferguson said he felt United was the better side. "We didn't play as well as we can but I felt we were the better team over 90 minutes. We had a bad start and we had a bit of luck in the last 20 minutes but we deserved it." Ferguson said his biggest problem was picking a midfield line-up after captain Roy Keane and Paul Scholes were ruled out through suspension. "But we played a passing midfield. I put David [Beckham] in the middle because he's the best passer. I knew we would miss his crosses but I had to do it. Ryan [Giggs] did well wide on the right." The manager, the first in England to win a triple crown of European Cup, English League and FA Cup, said his team was not finished yet. "They will play with pride. They won't rest with that because they're young," he said. Bayern club president Franz Beckenbauer said: "Football can be so dreadful. It was a cruel defeat. We came so close. With a couple of seconds remaining the victory was ours but it was not to be. "We were the dominant team in the last 20 minutes. We hit the crossbar and the post and we should have extended our lead. I'm not saying Manchester's victory was not deserved, not at all, but it is the most unfortunate defeat I've ever experienced." Bayern libero Lothar Matthaeus said: "Its bitter, sad and unbelievable. We're all disappointed. You can't blame the team. We had the match in control for 90 minutes. "We had bad luck, hitting the post and the crossbar. What happened afterwards is simply inexplicable. Nobody's thinking about next season. It's so sad. I'll play on, that's clear." Solskjaer, who hit the winner almost two minutes into injury time, said: "We just had to score goals after the pressure we had. Someone had to do it. "The team spirit is unbelievable. Everyone works for each other. We're all in this together. "If anyone wonders why I stay here at Manchester United,
this is it."
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