Borussia Dortmund 1 Bayern Munich 2: match report

By Jason Burt, Wembley Stadium

Fussball came home and, frankly, it can come back any time; an open invitation, the most welcome of guests. This was the first all-German Champions League Final and it was simply wunderbar.

Just as it appeared this brilliant contest was heading for extra-time, an added bonus, a familiar face intervened. The former Chelsea winger Arjen Robben finally scored for Bayern to take the trophy and end Jupp Heynckes' glittering 34-year career with the biggest prize of them all: The European Cup.

Heynckes now makes way for Pep Guardiola, of course, and Bayern will hope it portends a period of dominance. For Dortmund, so youthful and bravura under coach Jurgen Klopp, defeat was cruel.

Klopp had, understandably, fully milked the underdog status. Dortmund had finished 25 points behind Bayern, who won the Bundesliga title with six matches to spare. Bayern's goal difference was an astonishing plus-80, they had scored four goals in a game on 15 occasions … and they oozed so much confidence.

Not that Dortmund were some David against this Teutonic Goliath. Klopp is canny and feisty behind that smile and the sense of injustice was fuelled by the loss of his star player, Mario Götze, after Bayern exercised the £31m buy-out clause. The attacking midfielder was not fit last night and his absence, though a blow, was not insurmountable for a team who had lost only one of their previous seven matches against Bayern.

Despite all of Bayern's belief they also entered this contest having lost four European Cup finals – most recently the trauma of last season's shoot-out defeat to Chelsea in their own stadium.

This, above all this, was an affirmation of the strength of German football, with Real Madrid and Barcelona having been swept aside in the semi-finals. It did not disappoint. There was a savouring of the occasion. Wembley began to fill early, very early, a sea of yellow on one side, a wall of red on the other and the decibel level rose.

Bastian Schweinsteiger rolled his ankle in the warm-up – and then tested it with an early rattling tackle on Jakub Blaszczykowski. But it was Dortmund exerting the pressure, pushing up against the Bayern defence. Indeed it was Blaszczykowski who had the first half-chance, blazing wide, before Dortmund pressed and stole the ball again with Robert Lewandowski curling a shot around Dante only for Manuel Neuer to tip it over.

The goalkeeper then reacted superbly as, from the corner, a low cross from Marco Reus was eventually delivered. Blaszczykowski's close-range snap-shot was goal-bound but Neuer turned it away with his outstretched leg. The counter-attacking tempo was relentless, with Dortmund again whipping the ball away and Kevin Grosskreutz finding Reus, whose shot was punched out by Neuer before the goalkeeper easily held an effort from Sven Bender.

Nevertheless it was the fourth time he had been forced into action as Dortmund's intensity flustered Bayern who finally threatened when Mario Mandzukic met a cross from Ribery. He headed back across goal and Roman Weidenfeller brushed the ball against the crossbar.

Suddenly it opened up for Bayern, with Thomas Muller nicking the ball away and stabbing a pass cross-field to Robben, whose shot was blocked by Weidenfeller when Mandzukic was waiting for a tap-in. Then Dortmund almost scored once more, with Lewandowski's quick feet taking him away from Jerome Boateng only for Neuer to save.

The ebb and flow was relentless – Robben was denied again and then Muller's header just evaded Mandzukic at the far post. Could Dortmund maintain the pace? Would Bayern finally exploit the space in behind their defence?

It was Dortmund who drew breathe and went again, once more pressing high, trying to force the issue. It was aggressive also. No quarter was given by either side and the challenges flew in – with Ribery fortunate to escape punishment after flailing an arm out in Lewandowski's face.

The tension rose. The contest needed a goal – and Bayern provided it. It came as Ribery ran at the Dortmund defence and slipped a pass to Robben who gained the by-line to cut the ball back beyond Weidenfeller's challenge. It fell to Mandzukic and the Croatian striker steered it into the net from inside the six-yard area. Agonisingly for Dortmund the cross had flicked off Weidenfeller's boot to take it away from the covering Lukasz Piszczek.

Dortmund were rattled. How would they react without Götze? Well, they had the perennially dangerous Reus and when he ran onto a ball flicked into the area Dante panicked. The Brazilian waved out a foot, clumsily catching Reus in the stomach. The penalty was given and, unerringly, Ilkay Gundogan hammered it beyond Neuer to even the scores.

In the drama, Dante was fortunate to escape a second yellow card. This time it was Bayern who were thrown and Dortmund broke rapidly with the ball eventually ferried to Hummels who blasted over.

Incredibly Bayern responded with Muller running clear, rounding Weidenfeller and rolling a shot goalwards. Nevan Subotic, with Robben rushing in to tap home, somehow hooked the ball away from on the goal-line. And so it went on. Bayern went close again with the ball falling to David Alaba and his fierce first-time shot was fisted over by Weidenfeller before, again, Muller wriggled through only to go to ground. He claimed a penalty, arguing Subotic had pulled him back but play continued.

There was an edge and, this time, Lewandowski escaped as he trod on Boateng's ankle as the defender lay on the turf. Weidenfeller then, smartly, turned away Schweinsteiger's crisp shot. Finally, though, Bayern and Robben were not to be denied. He ran onto Ribery's back-heel, rode Hummels challenge and gently rolled the ball into the net.

Taken from telegraph.co.uk