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LONDON: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has once again tormented Bayern Munich as the Manchester United coach scored at the club's winners' meeting in 1999, on Sunday 26 May.
Twenty years after Solskjaer scored the last goal that had helped Alex Ferguson's team to beat Bayern in the Champions League final, the current boss of United has joined his former teammates for a charity match against the Germans at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer started again on the bench as in the Camp Nou final, but he lost shortly after pbading for Andy Cole, opening the score at home after Dwight Yorke refused.
With Ferguson back in the dugout as manager for the day, there was a comfort factor in the air at Old Trafford for United 's 5-0 win after a tough season for the current generation.
It was the first time that Ferguson, 77, has been leading a United team since his retirement in 2013.
He was sitting with former England boss Steve McClaren, his badistant 20 years ago.
The reunion match, for the benefit of the Manchester United Foundation, was also the first time Ferguson had been on the ground since his major surgery after suffering a brain haemorrhage last May.
Going back, David Beckham threw balls on cross fields, Jaap Stam showed no mercy in the back and Paul Scholes led the midfielder.
David Beckham took advantage of his return to Old Trafford with the legends of Manchester United. (AFP / Lindsey PARNABY)
They were faced with a team of Bayern stars including Lothar Matthaus, Stefan Effenberg, Sammy Kuffour and Carsten Jancker of the 1999 squad, as well as former Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis.
Solskjaer started midway through the first half and skipper Peter Schmeichel followed suit shortly after Dwight Yorke had a great second for United Legends.
With two late goals against Bayern, United remains the only English club to win a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League triple in one season.
As the last man responsible for trying to organize a return to those sunny days, he was an integral part of Solskjaer's action. Solskjaer's efforts were greeted with enthusiasm by a crowd of more than 60,000 people.
As popular as it is, the reception of Solskjaer has been overshadowed by that offered to Beckham.
The former 44-year-old English skipper, sold to Real Madrid in 2003 after a quarrel with Ferguson, was ovationed every time he was going to take a corner.
Many changes punctuated the second half rather than the goals, with Stam, Scholes and Denis Irwin among those to be replaced by enthusiastic applause.
Nicky Butt scored the third third of the afternoon at 11 minutes from United while he was coldly stabbing a Louis Saha center.
Saha, one of the few untried players to play for United, scored the fourth goal in the 85th minute as he returned to a Jonathan Greening center.
In an appropriate final, Beckham sits behind Bayern's bottom line and showed quick marks before heading home in front of the Stretford End, leaving Ferguson smiles and the crowd standing delighted.
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