United, they win

But Alex Ferguson’s team, held 1-1 at home in the first leg, hit back with three goals from Roy Keane, Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole for a 3-2 win as Juve lost at home in European competition for the first time in four years.

The result means there is no Italian team in the final for the first time since 1991 while United have made it after a 31-year gap since 1968 when Matt Busby’s team triumphed over Benfica.

“My players were absolutely fantastic, they were magnificent. We have them a start, did not we,” Ferguson said of the two Inzaghi goals. “But the players kept their composure and they deserve to be in thefinal.”

Sixth final: Bayern, a three-time winners but not since 1976, made the May 26 final for the sixth time with a 1-0 victory over Kiev in Munich’s Olympic stadium thanks to a spectacular solo strike by Mario Basler.

The runaway Bundesliga leaders had hit back from 3-1 down in the first leg in Ukraine to tie 3-3 and Basler came up with a wonder strike after 35 minutes.

The eccentric Basler, known for his smoking and drinking, danced round two Kiev players as he drove in from the left side then blasted a shot inside the far post.

Bayern, whose famous 1970s teams won the Cup three times from 1974-1976, captured the semifinal matchup 4-3 on aggregate and moved into the final for the first time since 1987.

It remains on course to win a historic triple for a German team – the Champions Cup, Bundesliga title and German Cup in the same season. United are after a similar treble in England, leading the Premier league standings and having gained the final of the FA Cup against Ruud Gullit’sNewcastle.

Bayern ‘keeper Oliver Kahn played despite the discomfort of a broken toe, but made important saves from Valiantsin Bialkevich and Alexandre Khatskevich.