MUNICH -- Didier Drogba scored
the decisive penalty in the shootout as Chelsea beat Bayern Munich to win the
Champions League final after a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
The
unlikely storyline of an English team beating a German team on penalties in a
high-profile match provided a fitting end to a dramatic night, as Chelsea
became Europe's champion club for the first time.
The
often theatrical figure of 34-year-old Drogba, playing possibly his last game
for the club as his Chelsea contract expires next month, was at the heart of
the show.
Drogba sent goalkeeper Manuel Neuerthe
wrong way to win the shootout 4-3 in front of massed Bayern fans in their home
Allianz Arena. Bayern's Bastian
Schweinsteiger missed the previous penalty.
The shootout was needed after Chelsea
goalkeeper Petr Cech savedArjen Robben's
spot-kick early in extra time.
It
was awarded for a foul by Drogba, whose 88th-minute header earned an unlikely
reprieve.
After
83 minutes of Bayern domination, Thomas Mueller broke dogged Chelsea resistance
with a header past the outstanding Cech.
Chelsea's
first Champions League title came four years after losing in a shootout to
Manchester United.
Drogba succeeded where his captain John Terry,
who was suspended for Saturday's finale, failed in missing the fifth penalty in
Moscow four years ago which would have given the club's Russian owner Roman
Abramavich the Champions League title he has craved.
Victory
also sealed Chelsea's last remaining route into next season's competition which
is crucial to its elite status and finances.
Everything
seemed stacked against Chelsea when Bayern won the toss to send the shootout to
the home, south end of its stadium.
After Bayern captain Philipp Lahm scored
first, Juan Mata saw
his kick saved by Neuer.
Cech then saved Ivica Olic's
fourth penalty for Bayern to put the otherwise excellent Schweinsteiger in the
spotlight.
He
struck the post to Cech's left and covered his face with his shirt. Drogba
stepped up and sealed victory and awaited the adulation of his onrushing
teammates.
With
seven starters from the two teams suspended, Bayern settled quickly against a
visiting team set up to absorb pressure.
The
Germans' tempo was often dictated by Schweinsteiger, who excelled after
collecting a needless yellow card in the second minute for handball.
Toni Kroos, Mario Gomez and
Robben all failed to find the target, and anxiety rose in the Chelsea defense
when Jose Bosingwa's
miscue conceded a corner.
Robben,
the former Chelsea winger, threatened again in the 21st when he wriggled
through a tiny gap to create a left-footed shooting chance. So often Chelsea's
Champions League savior, Cech blocked with his right leg and deflected the ball
high up against his right post.
Drogba was being kept quiet before he
linked with Frank Lampard to
create Chelsea's first good chance in the 37th. Salomon Kalou was
teed up to shoot low but Neuer's save was solid.
Gomez, with 13 goals in the competition
this season, then wasted two good chances to draw level with Barcelona's Lionel Messi.
First, his control failed when Ribery's
misdirected shot flew to his feet, then the big forward wrong-footed Gary Cahill but
shot high and wide.
Bayern
coach Jupp Heynckes stomped back to the bench throwing his hands in the air.
The
second half resumed with the same pattern, and Cole's outstanding defending
denied Robben.
The
England left-back hunted down Robben's break, then blocked the Dutchman's clear
sight of goal from 10 yards (meters) in the 54th. The loose ball found Ribery
in an offside position before he thought he'd opened the scoring.
Cole
repeated his heroics five minutes later, dashing across to block Robben's shot
from 15 yards.
In
the 76th, Cech stretched to tip the ball over the bar as Ribery's cross at the
goalline squirted up from Cole's lunging challenge.
Cole
was then booked for fouling Mueller, who responded by directing a header which
Cech gathered.
One
minute later, Mueller eluded Cole with a late run and headed home to spark
delirious celebrations among the Bayern players and fans.
They
underestimated Chelsea's admirable resolve, and Drogba soared to score with a
header that Neuer couldn't keep out.
Drogba's
taste for the dramatic flared up in the third minute of extra time, as he
clipped Ribery's heels in the penalty area.
Referee
Pedro Proenca's decision to point to the spot seemed to stun the Bayern fans,
and their anxiety was well founded.
Robben
fired low to Cech's left, and the Czech `keeper blocked with his arm and body,
then reached across to collect the loose ball.
Bayern came agonizingly close in the
108th, when substitute Olic slipped the ball across the goalmouth but teammate Daniel van
Buyten failed to anticipate the simple tap-in.Chelsea