Football often takes itself too seriously, but for once the Champions League has produced two semi-finals that deserve the word historic.

Vampire or pistolero?

Bayern Munich go into their Champions League quarter-final second leg tomorrow night against Juventus not only two goals up but as newly-crowned champions of Germany.

ON the face of it, there is little reason for optimism about English or Irish football after last week’s internationals.

No disrespect to the Premier League but there has been a distinct lack of wailing and gnashing of teeth elsewhere in Europe at the absence of English clubs from the Champions League quarter-finals.

“We won’t play like Fort Apache, that’s not our style.”

Mourinho’s Nemesis: that was how tonight’s gunfight at the Old Trafford Corral was shaping up just five weeks ago.

Say what you like about Silvio Berlusconi’s political career, he’s proved a better judge of football than most owners.

Unsere Stadt, Unser Stadion, Unser Pokal — our city, our stadium, our cup.

It is the game the world is waiting to see, according to José Mourinho, and he may well be right.