In the last 11 minutes with United seemingly finished Bayern had struck the post and bar and brought two excellent

In the last 11 minutes, with United seemingly finished, Bayern had struck the post and bar and brought two excellent saves from Peter Schmeichel. At the time the Dane must have wondered if they were going to be just a post-script to his glorious eight- year career at Old Trafford. In the event they were crucial.Before the closing drama the biggest match of all had seemed to be a match too far for United. They had produced a performance so out of character, so bereft of their usual verve and imagination, spectators in the cavernous Nou Camp must have wished that they had binoculars with them to check if it really was Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke and Ryan Giggs out there.It was and there was one quality they had not lost, their spirit. This United, unbeaten since 13 December, do not give up and last night they were rewarded in the most incredible way imaginable.Bayern had gone ahead after just six minutes, Mario Basler driving in a free-kick from the edge of the area after the far end of the wall appeared to melt away as he ran in.The kick had been given away by Ronny Johnsen, whose nervous start characterised United's opening 15 minutes. Hesitant at the back and static in midfield, they did not force a save from Oliver Kahn until the 21st minute and that was a weak header from Gary Neville. The next attempt on target came 24 minutes later, an equally soft effort by Giggs.The problem was a lack of cohesion brought about by the changes enforced on United by the suspension of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes.

Ferguson, true to his gambler's instinct, had chosen the boldest of the options available to him. Jesper Blomqvist was on the left flank, Giggs on the right, David Beckham in central midfield and Johnsen at the back.It did not work. Beckham played well throughout, using the ball well and always available, but with the front pair anonymous, Giggs predictable and Blomqvist marginalised on the flanks, United had no attacking threat. They won a lot of corners but the powerful Germans were dominant in the air.With the United defence, after allowing Alex Zickler two free headers, having tightened up, the half ended with the game needing a lift - but not as much as United did.Having escaped when Markus Babbel wasted a free header United almost got it 10 minutes into the second period when a good spell of pressure, involving much more fluent passing than in the first period, ended with Blomqvist steering a deep cross from Giggs just over the bar.It proved an isolated effort and, after Basler's 50-yard shot, which just dropped over a back-pedalling Schmeichel's bar, United brought Sheringham on.

Blomqvist made way with Giggs going to the left, Beckham to the right and Yorke to the apex of a diamond midfield.United looked better balanced but, as they pushed forward, Bayern moved in for the kill. Stefan Effenberg, who had earlier been the only player booked, for tripping Giggs, whipped one shot just wide, then brought a leaping save from Schmeichel with a clever chip.Next came Basler, running 40 yards, turning United's defence in knots, before slipping the ball to Mehmet Scholl - whose chip looped over Schmeichel, struck the post, and bounced back into the grateful Dane's arms.Sheringham twice tested Kahn but, despite the arrival of Solskjaer, Bayern remained ascendant with Schmeichel making a diving save from Scholl before Carsten Jancker hit the bar with an overhead kick.The stadium clock had stopped at 45:00 as United desperately won a corner. Beckham took it, Schmeichel came up for it, Bayern failed to clear and, when Giggs drove the ball back into the box, Sheringham turned it in.As Bayern crumbled United sensed they could win and, a minute later, they did, Solskjaer stabbing the ball in after Sheringham had flicked on another Beckham corner. The celebrations were loud and long, the previous 90 minutes forgotten in the ecstasy of the last 90 seconds.United were fortunate last night but they deserve their success. They are unbeaten in 13 European ties, during which they have always sought to attack and scored 31 goals. The ghosts of '68 have been laid.Manchester United (4-4-2): Schmeichel; G Neville, Stam, Johnsen, Irwin; Giggs, Beckham, Butt, Blomqvist (Sheringham, 66); Yorke, Cole (Solskjaer, 81). Substitutes not used: Van der Gouw (gk), May, P Neville, Brown, Greening.Bayern Munich (1-2-5-2): Kahn; Matthaus (Fink, 80); Linke, Kuffour; Babbel, Basler (Salihamidzic, 89), Jeremies, Effenberg, Tarnat; Zickler (Scholl, 71), Jancker.

Substitutes not used: Dreher (gk), Helmer, Strunz, Daei.Referee: P Collina (Italy).. INDIA'S SAURAV GANGULY and Rahul Dravid tore into Sri Lanka's attack at Taunton yesterday, both hammering career-best one-day centuries and sharing a record partnership of 318 in their World Cup Group A match. India compiled 373 for 6 in their 50 overs as Dravid hit 145, his second consecutive century, and Ganguly reached 183 in one of the most exhilarating displays of batting in the 24-year history of the competition. The second-wicket pair made the most of a flat pitch and short boundaries to beat the previous best for any wicket in a one-day international - 275 by India's Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja against Zimbabwe in 1997-98.The previous highest for any wicket in the World Cup was an unbroken third-wicket stand of 237 between Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar against Kenya at Bristol last Sunday.When Dravid was eventually run out he had made his 145 off 129 balls with 17 fours and a six, becoming only the second batsman in World Cup history, after Australia's Mark Waugh on the sub-continent in 1996, to score consecutive centuries in a single tournament.Ganguly finally fell to a catch on the long-on boundary in the last over, his 183 coming from 158 balls and containing 17 fours and seven sixes.In Barrackpur, near Calcutta, eight people were arrested while allegedly settling claims for bets during the Group B match between New Zealand and the West Indies, police said.Police seized 14 mobile phones, two lap-top computers, cash cards, television sets and 16,000 rupees (pounds 235) from them. "The bookies were earning millions of rupees from bets placed in every match in the World Cup," a police official said, adding that they were alerted by locals who spotted a group of strangers with mobile telephones on Tuesday."Mobile phones are very unusual for this area," district magistrate Arun Mishra said.In New Delhi, police arrested three people on Tuesday for alleged betting on cricket matches and seized nine mobile phones along with 15,000 rupees of stake money.Betting is illegal in India, except on horse racing. Many Indians bet regularly, often in large amounts placed on trust.. TONY ADAMS has decided to put club before country in order to prolong his Arsenal career and fulfil his ambition to lead the Gunners to glory in the European Champions' League next season.

The Arsenal captain, who will be 33 in October, has informed the England coach, Kevin Keegan, that he will not be available for the Euro 2000 qualifiers against Sweden and Bulgaria next month after experiencing more problems with a back injury during his club's end-of-season trip to the Far East last week. Although Adams, who has played 57 times for his country, has not formally announced his retirement from international football, he has made it clear that his priorities now lie with his club.Adams has played only three times for England since returning from the World Cup finals in France last summer and has taken a six-week mid-winter break in each of the last two seasons because of problems with a long- term back injury.He has played in only 36 of Arsenal's 55 matches this season, having warned that he would seriously consider retiring altogether if he had to keep taking pain-killing tablets to sustain him from match to match.Arsenal face a minimum of 12 extra fixtures next season just to reach the quarter-finals of the enlarged European Champions' Cup. That prize remains a major target for Adams, who recently admitted he is jealous of Manchester United's success in the competition and wants to help emulate it at Highbury.The Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, is keen to see his top players rest as much as possible before the new season in August. The Dutch winger Marc Overmars, troubled by a groin strain, has now joined his club-mate Dennis Bergkamp in withdrawing from the Netherlands' two-match trip to Brazil next month, although both players are expected to appear in their country's next friendly against Belgium in Rotterdam in September.Meanwhile, Wenger is weighing up a possible pounds 2m bid for the Dynamo Kiev right-back Oleh Luzhny, even though it would go against his preference of not signing players who are over 30.The Ukrainian, who helped knock the Gunners out of the Champions' League last season, is 31 this year. But Wenger, who has re-signed Steve Bould, Nigel Winterburn and Lee Dixon - all over 35 - on new one-year contracts, admits: "I want at least three new signings for next season because the fixture list is crazy and we will need some experienced players, especially in the Champions' League."Wenger may have to spread his net even wider if, as likely, he receives transfer requests from the midfielder Stephen Hughes and the defender Gilles Grimandi. Hughes, 23, is unsettled after making just 10 starts this season, while Grimandi, 29, says he also needs more first-team opportunities..