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MUNICH - BAYERN Munich's plan was to attack Real Madrid early.

'We wanted to make a statement,' said manager Ottmar Hitzfeld.

But, even he could not have planned for what happened at the kick-off.

Hasan Salihamidzic stole the ball from Real's Roberto Carlos and ran unobstructed down the right wing before crossing into the box.

There, Roy Makaay volleyed past goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

The time on the clock read: 11 seconds. Actually, less than 11 sec, according to most British newspapers.

The fastest goal in Champions League history helped hosts Bayern beat Madrid 2-1 and knock the Spaniards out.

It also left coach Fabio Capello fearing the sack.

'For them to score a goal like this was incredible,' the Real coach said. 'We gave them an incredible present, which was due to a mistake by Carlos.

'Who could have thought that something like that could happen? It's hard to turn things around after that.'

Carlos blamed the grass.

He said: 'We didn't concede because of a lack of concentration. It was because the pitch wasn't in good condition and the ball bobbled when I got it.'

Lucio doubled Bayern's lead in the 66th minute, nodding home a Willy Sagnol corner.

Ruud van Nistelrooy then pulled one back for Real with an 83rd-minute penalty.

The tie ended 4-4 on aggregate, but Bayern progressed on the away-goals rule.

Real face Barcelona in the Spanish league tomorrow, but sports director Predrag Mijatovic could not confirm that Capello would be in charge.

'At this moment, I can't guarantee that Capello will be sitting on the bench at the Camp Nou,' he said yesterday.

Capello said he was 'dependent on the club's decision,' while president Ramon Calderon wanted to see whether the Italian is 'strong enough' to carry on.

Real face the possibility of a fourth straight season without a trophy - the club's most barren spell since a six-year drought in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Already knocked out of the Copa del Rey, the ailing giants have only the league title to aim for this season.

They are fourth, six points behind leaders Sevilla, with 13 games remaining.

Calderon, who came to power last July, recruited Capello and guaranteed results would follow the signings of proven players.

The club believed they were laying the foundations of future success by signing a new generation with the likes of Jose Antonio Reyes and Mahamadou Diarra.

Eight months on, Real are left with empty promises.

The defeat by Bayern exposed their problems.

A shaky defence, an unimaginative midfield and a toothless attack all contributed to their destruction.

Real had plenty of time to turn the tie around but they were incapable of matching a mediocre Bayern.

Diarra and Bayern's Mark van Bommel were sent off with their second yellow cards for arguing on the edge of the box.

Real were not helped by the absence of the injured David Beckham, who set up two and had a hand in the build-up for a third goal in the 3-2 win in the first leg.

'I'm worried because things have happened that I can't explain,' admitted Mijatovic.

'We were knocked out by a team that are not very good.'

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE