Man United's title defence and any chance of an England victory at the World Cup hung in the balance the moment Rooney went down
Oliver Holt is the Daily Mirror chief sports writer
The Germans in the Allianz Arena last night only saw the goal. The English did not.
They saw something else. In their peripheral vision, they saw a figure fall to the floor and begin to writhe in pain.
Ivica Olic wheeled away to celebrate Bayern Munich's injury time winner but the English were not watching by then.
It didn't matter that Olic's strike might yet prove to be a crucial goal, maybe the goal that knocks Manchester United out of the Champions League.
But as ten of United's players hung their heads, the English only had eyes for one particularly hellish part of the goal's aftermath, for that figure lying on the floor, clutching his leg.
Because by then it had become apparent that it was Wayne Rooney lying stricken on the turf and that everything was suddenly in the balance.
Fears for United and England as Rooney limps out of Champions League tie
United's Premier League hopes and their Champions League aspirations. And any ambitions England might have of winning the World Cup.
Rooney is that important. He had scored United's goal after 65 seconds last night, just like he seems to score in practically every game he plays this season.
The man is in unstoppable form. Make that was in unstoppable form. With him playing the way he's been playing, everything seemed possible for United and for England.
Without him, United might still have a chance of the Premier League but it would be hard to see them beating a team like Barcelona or even overturning the 2-1 deficit against Bayern next week.
When Rooney hit the deck in the 92nd minute last night, the hearts of Chelsea players must have skipped a beat because if he misses their showdown with United on Saturday, it might swing the title race decisively towards Carlo Ancelotti's side.
But for England, his absence would be much more damaging. Any lingering hopes we might harbour of winning the World Cup in South Africa would disappear.
There are problems with our goalkeepers, question marks at full back, worries about the fitness of Rio Ferdinand and sadness at the loss of David Beckham.
But the talent of Rooney often camouflages all those weaknesses and makes other teams worry about defending against England rather than concentrating on attacking.
The more we talk about Rooney as a star to match Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, the more confidence it spreads in the England side.
The more it feels as though he can take the tournament by storm just like he did when he first burst upon the international scene at Euro 2004 in Portugal.
But now there's a question mark over all that. Now all that possibility, all that potential, may be lost to the injury blight that has afflicted England at so many recent World Cups.
All sorts of theories bounced around the stadium in the minutes after the final whistle. The chaos of speculation matched the game's crazy denouement.
Some thought it was his metatarsal. Again. It looked like Mario Gomes had inadvertently stamped on it. If that was the diagnosis, he would have time to recover for South Africa.
But others thought it was his knee. He has been carrying a knee injury for some time. Knee ligament damage might require an operation. That would mean his hopes of playing in the World Cup had probably been dashed.
The most optimistic scenario was a twisted ankle. If it turns out to be something so minor and he plays against Chelsea on Saturday, Tuesday night's collective hysteria will seem a little foolish.
Sir Alex Ferguson, predictably, refused to put us out of our misery last night and tell us one way or the other how bad the Rooney injury was.
Not even though the English press showed remarkable restraint by asking him one polite question about the game before the rush of inquiries about Rooney started.
Ferguson was at his obtuse worst. Obviously smarting about the way United had played, the casual way in which they had surrendered possession throughout, he was in no mood to soothe English fears.
"It's his ankle," he said matter-of-factly, as he sat on the stage in the Allianz Arena press conference room. "We will know more tomorrow."
Ferguson is not usually pressed on things a second time. That tends to light his notoriously short fuse. But this time, it was worth the risk.
"I don't think it's terribly serious," Ferguson said begrudgingly, "but we will wait and see."
And that was it. A couple of more questions about United's hopes of progressing to the quarter finals and then he was gone.
There were some suggestions from the United camp last night that Rooney's injury was relatively insignificant but United are masters of misinformation.
It could be a twisted ankle that keeps him out for a couple of days. It could be an ankle ligament injury that keeps him out for a few months.
Like Fergie says, wait and see. And hold your breath. And cross your fingers.
Fears for United and England as Rooney limps out of Champions League tie
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