Congratulations to Bayern Munich for that splendid 2-1 victory over Manchester United in their Champions League semi final first leg in Munich. It was a classic performance by the German club by all standards. If there was anything called super revenge, this was it.

The way Manchester United in 1999 scored two dramatic goals in injury time to win the Cup at the expense of Bayern would be hard to erase from the memory of Bayern fans and this defeat should give United fans a fair idea of the agony Bayern fans went through in that epic final 11 years ago.

The only difference may be that the 1999 encounter was the very final match whilst this time round, United have a chance to make amends in the second leg on April 7 at Old Trafford.

There is no doubt that the return encounter would be a thrilling affair with United eager to be the first club to make a fourth consecutive semi final berth in the new format Champions league just as they are aiming at a record fourth consecutive Premiership league title in England. Bayern will also prove that they deserve a fifth cup triumph. It will be tough.

Lyon too deserves praise for their clear cut 3-1 win over Bordeaux which confirms that their elimination of star studded Real Madrid from the Championships was no fluke. With this great show, one can easily predict that they already have one leg in the semifinals.

It is the wish of soccer fans that the other quarter final pairings involving Arsenal against defending champions Barcelona and Inter Milan v CSKA Moscow would also provide thrills.

Surely the football fever is reaching its peak which is a good omen for the 2010 World Cup, the first to be held in Africa, the continent which used to be described as dark by our colonial masters. Of course the tide has now changed and, in sporting jargon; - it’s a whole new ball game. 

Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.