A DEJECTED George Best had left the stands at the Nou Camp stadium. Bayern Munich's colours were being pinned to the trophy. Uefa president Lennart Johansson had left his seat to present it to the German club.
The scoreboard hit 90 minutes in the 1999 Champions League final and Manchester United were trailing 1-0. But everything was about to change.
Inside three minutes of injury time, United produced one of the most breathtaking comebacks in football
history, with goals from substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer giving the Old Trafford club their first European Cup since 1968.
As the current squad prepares for tomorrow's final against Chelsea in Moscow, they have been reliving the thrilling climax and seeking inspiration from the 1999 treble-winning squad that also captured the Premier League and FA Cup.
Paul Scholes was suspended for the final and Wes Brown remained on the bench, but both are now in line to fight for a second winners' medal. Only Ryan Giggs can feature again nine years later at Luzhniki Stadium. If he does play, the Welsh winger will beat Bobby Charlton's all-time United appearance record of 758.
"It was tough in 1999," Giggs said. "We had great quality in 1999 and we used it throughout the season. That was the case this season as well, so there are similarities.
"We've got great team spirit, and we've got a good balance of experience and young players. The enthusiasm the young players has shown has been great for me. I enjoy the experience you can give to the young players when they've found themselves in certain positions."
Giggs, 34, had thought a second chance of glory was slipping away as United lost semi-finals to Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan in the intervening years.
"Certainly, I think you appreciate it a lot more. You don't play when you're 25 or 26 thinking it will be your last time, but at 33 or 34 you know it will be a last chance," said Giggs, who has just won his tenth Premier League title.
"You always have that belief that we would get there again and show that winning mentality, but overall I'm just happy to be playing in the final.
"I think I will be able to enjoy the experience but, of course, winning is the important thing. I will have many years to reflect on my career when I finish, but you have certain things you want to achieve and winning the Champions League again is one of them."
Scholes scored the only goal over two legs in this season's semi-finals against Barcelona. He was immediately guaranteed to start the final by manager Alex Ferguson. Asked if Scholes would be the first name on his teamsheet, Fergie said yes.
"Scholesy deserves to play because he's a great player," Giggs said. "His form has been brilliant and his goal against Barcelona got us to the final.
"To play with a player like him is a privilege. He does things other players can't do. The disappointment of 1999 was massive for him and Roy (Keane, who was also suspended], having played such an important part getting us to the final. I'm glad he's got another chance now and he deserves it."
Scholes, a former England midfielder, shuns the media spotlight and hasn't spoken in the build-up to the final.
"He doesn't say a lot, Scholesy," team-mate Michael Carrick said. "He's a world-class player and he's probably one of the best midfielders over the last ten years in Europe. The amount of goals he's scored in the Champions League, he's just a terrific player.
"Everyone who has played with him or against him has the utmost respect for him. As a professional, you can't ask for much more from him."
While Ferguson hails his current squad as his greatest, Carrick dismisses any comparisons until they can display the trophies to prove it.
"All the players are well aware of the history of this club, and 1999 was a massive year and is the one year that stands out," said Carrick, who joined United in 2006. "I've watched the final a few times since 1999 but until we win the Champions League, how can you compare the two sides?
"It's OK saying we play good football and have good players, but until we win more honours, it's hard to compare."
While Giggs, Scholes and Brown are bidding to repeat their 1999 fate, United's veteran goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar could complete an amazing 13-year gap between Champions League wins if they beat Chelsea in Moscow.
Van der Sar was on the winning side for Ajax against AC Milan in 1995 and freely admits that when he accepted the challenge of moving to Fulham from Juventus in 2001, there appeared little prospect he would appear on such a grand stage again.
"Yes, when I signed for Fulham I probably did think I would not be involved in matches like this," said the 37-year-old Dutchman.
"I went to watch Chelsea in the Champions League a couple of times and on one occasion in particular, I looked at Oliver Kahn doing his warm-up and thought 'I used to be doing that'. Believing I would have the opportunity of experiencing it again was something that never went away but at Fulham, I knew it would be very difficult."
Van der Sar, 34 by the time he arrived at Old Trafford, added: "Someone has to make the decision for you and think that you are the perfect player for their side. That's why I am grateful to Sir Alex Ferguson for giving me the chance."
The full article contains 957 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
