Schmeichel's final flourish provides sweetest feeling

Peter Schmeichel kept his promise to leave Manchester United with the parting present of the European Cup.

Schmeichel vowed back in November when he announced that he would be leaving Old Trafford in the summer that he would help them conquer Europe before they went - and he has.

Schmeichel's last official act for United was to receive the European Cup and he admitted he could not have wished for a better climax.

"This is a fantastic finish for me and everything feels really good right now. When I announced that I would leave United at the end of the season I promised I would do all I could to finish with United being at the top.

"It's difficult to get any higher than this. It's been an amazing thing being part of a team like Manchester United.

"One thing I have learned throughout all my time at United is that they are a team that never gives up. Therefore I got the feeling toward the end of the match that we would score."

Schmeichel, who came up for the corner from which Teddy Sheringham equalised for United, admitted: "With time running out I was only concentrating on getting forward at set-pieces. It was a fantastic feeling when we scored."

Schmeichel, who has been linked with moves to French clubs Bordeaux and Monaco, refused to be drawn on where he is going.

"I don't want to discuss my future - now is a time for champagne, not thinking about the future," he said.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer savoured his winning goal deep into injury time and insisted United deserved to get back into the final.

Solskjaer said: "We had to score goals. Someone had to do it, fortunately it was me. We had to score some goals after the pressure we had. It's unbelievable and it's very difficult to describe how I feel just now, but if anyone still wonders why I stayed at Man United they can see here why.

"The team spirit is just unbelievable. Everyone works together and is in this together."

However, the German perspective on the game was completely different with veteran Bayern defender Lothar Matthaus saying that United were `lucky'.

"Tonight it was not the best team that won but the luckiest," said Matthaus, who captained West Germany to World Cup victory in 1990.

"But we must not blame anyone. Especially in normal time. To lose a final is always hard, especially this way."

Midfielder Stefan Effenberg said: "I don't have the words to describe such a sickening moment. It is too brutal."

France's World Cup-winning defender Bixente Lizarazu, who missed the final through injury, said: "You give everything for a season to win the title and lose it in the last minutes, it is truly brutal."

Jens Jeremies did, however, admit Bayern must shoulder some of the blame. He said: "It's unimaginable. We need several days to recover.

"In the last seconds we made individual mistakes we should have never made. Everyone should have marked his player."

But former England manager Terry Venables summed up United's achievement, saying: "People have said it's unbelievable. That word is used too frequently, too easily - but that was unbelievable."

He was also delighted for Teddy Sheringham, who has enjoyed a stunning end to the season just after a spell when his career seemed on the slide.

He added: "People have underestimated him. But Teddy's come up trumps up again. The great thing is when he scores he's not got his back to goal.

"He can see the ball, he can see the goal - what a great example of goal-scoring, and who cares if he doesn't catch the ball cleanly."

Former Old Trafford manager Tommy Docherty paid tribute to Ferguson. "His tactical switches all season, sending players on at vital times, resting players - letting Peter Schmeichel go to the Bahamas for two weeks - things like that show what a tremendous manager he is."

For United director Sir Bobby Charlton it was an emotional night, coming on the 90th anniversary of Matt Busby's birthday.

"I'm really proud of them," said Charlton. "English football has been in the wilderness for a long time and now we're back on the world stage.

"It's been all right saying English football is the healthiest and the best to watch, but you really need to have something to show for it and to win the Champions' League, there's nothing bigger in world club football. I might even have a couple of drinks tonight now."