Bayern 4 : England 1

I know the crowd on the 'fan mile' in Berlin was bigger, but I cannot think the atmosphere was more intense than on Munich's Leopoldstrasse, the boulevard which is the main artery in Schwabing, where a hundred thousand celebrated the win.

My headline is slightly pushing things... but a year ago Podolski was a Bayern Munich player!

When the first goal was scored the police, many of them with their cheeks painted schwarz-rot-gold, started blocking the boulevard in anticipation of the rejoicing which subsequently would last noisily until well after the late summer sunset.

What struck me about the fans gathered in front of every café with a beamer or an array of big flat screen monitors was their age... One might have concluded, from the preponderance of pretty young teenagers, that this was the audience for a concert given by one of the current schoolgirl heart-throbs!

The generalized jubilation was a joy to witness and I'm very glad I was there.

But... how idiotic that FIFA persists in disallowing technology which would have ensured that England's second goal was allowed. Maybe it needs a bad referee call which truly affects an important game outcome to force the antediluvian technophobes to see the light.

It was also a good day for Germany on the tarmac of Valencia, with young Sebastian Vettel taking the checkered flag ahead of Hamilton and Button.

Erm... no, Vettel does not hail from Bavaria!