Arjen Robben struck an 89th-minute winner as Bayern Munich defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the Champions League final at Wembley yesterday to win their fifth European crown.
Mario Mandzukic put Bayern ahead on the hour but Ilkay Gundogan levelled from the penalty spot eight minutes later.
Robben settled a glorious all-German final when he got between three defenders from a pass by Franck Ribery and turned the ball with his left foot past Roman Weidenfeller in goal.
Bayern’s victory comes 12 months after they lost the Champions League final on penalties to Chelsea - when Robben also missed from the spot - in their own Allianz Arena and follows their 2010 final defeat to Inter Milan.
It was also a major triumph for Bayern’s outgoing coach Jupp Heynckes who becomes only the fourth coach to win two Champions League or European Cup titles with two different clubs.
Following his 1998 success with Real Madrid, Heynckes - who is being succeeded by former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola - joins Ernst Happel (Feyenoord and SV Hamburg), Ottmar Hitzfeld (Dortmund and Bayern), and Jose Mourinho (Porto und Inter) as winners with two clubs.
Bayern, who won the old European Cup in 1974, 1975 and 1976, had been waiting since 2001 for a Champions League win.
Dortmund seemed determined to prolong Bayern’s agony in a positive begin in shades of 1997 when a Dortmund side also went into a Champions League final as underdogs before overcoming Juventus 3-1.
Although missing the injured Mario Goetze - with Kevin Grosskreutz coming into midfield for the Germany international - it was Dortmund who created the early chances.
Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer had to save twice in as many minutes, tipping over a curling Robert Lewandowski shot and then thwarting Jakub Blaszczykowski at the near post after Marco Reus crossed from the right.
The lively Reus again tested Neuer after a swift break and pass from Kevin Grosskreutz, while Sven Bender also managed to get in a shot which the keeper which was more comfortable to deal with for the keeper.
The opening 20 minutes had seen five corners for Dortmund to none against, while Neuer had been more active in the opening spell than he had been in most of Bayern’s record-breaking league season of 29 wins, four draws and only one defeat.
Soon it was the turn of Dortmund’s Weidenfeller to shine, the keeper brilliant tipping a header by Mandzukic onto the bar and over in the 26th minute.
Four minutes later Arjen Robben had a superb opportunity when he was left free on the right, but the Dutch winger was unable to steer the ball past Weidenfeller who deflected for a corner.
Chances continued at either end as the game became stretched and the two Bundesliga heavyweights began to let their guards down as they exchanged punch and counter punch.
Neuer again rescued his side after Lewandowski turned past Jerome Boateng, while Robben at the other end got in a shot which struck Weidenfeller on the head in the last effort of a breathless first half.
The deadlock was finally broken on the hour when Ribery split the Dortmund defence with a pass to Robben who cut the ball back with his left foot for Mandzukic to net from close range.
Bayern had begun to impose themselves, but Dortmund responded with a penalty awarded when Dante kicked Reus in the midriff and Guendogan stepped up to the spot to send Neuer the wrong way in the 68th minute - the first goal the keeper had conceded in 432 minutes.
It was anyone’s game, and Thomas Mueller was next up with a chance, getting past Weidenfeller only to see his shot screwed off the line by Neven Subotic from the feet of Robben.
David Alaba had a shot turned wide by Weidenfeller at full stretch, and Mandzukic hit the side netting from a narrow angle as Bayern continued to threaten.
Bastian Schweinsteiger hit a stinging left-foot shot from just outside the box, again saved by Weidenfeller, but the keeper could do nothing to stop Robben at the end.