Champions League 2012: Cup was destined to come 'home'

Eight minutes before kick-off and the Bayern Munich supporters unfurled three huge banners - "Unsere Stadt", "Unser Stadion", Unser pokal" they read, sandwiching an even bigger silver banner of the Champions League trophy. Our city, our stadium, our cup, that is, in case Chelsea had any doubt of the task ahead. The message was clear. FC Hollywood had written their script.

It was well-choreographed and it was a point emphatically made by the thousands who packed out their stand more than an hour beforehand. Frank Lampard had called on Bayern to "bring it on" and the Germans did just that.

The pattern was set early. Chelsea were as entrenched as they were in Barcelona and soon Bayern were creating chances, albeit spurning them, with the attacking quartet of Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Thomas Muller and Mario Gomez instantly, well, at home in the surroundings.

If Chelsea felt last night was a date with destiny then so did the Bavarians as they attempted to become the first club to collect this trophy at their own stadium since Inter Milan in 1965, end their own 11-year wait, avenge the defeat in the final two years ago.

Chelsea knew the scale of the task but remained unfazed. Only Liverpool, back in 1984, had won the European Cup against an opponent playing at home. And even then Roma were only defeated in a penalty shoot-out.

Everything was stacked in Bayern's favour except the fact that they had to actually put the ball in the net. They occupied the home dressing room, had slept in familiar beds the night before and made the usual travel arrangements. Captain Philip Lahm even made mention of it in his pre-match press conference.

Uefa were acutely sensitive to accusations that the arrangements suited Bayern - the organisation was at pains to claim both clubs received 17,500 tickets - but Michael Ballack, who played for both clubs, simply pointed out that the Germans were the undoubted favourites and not least, to be honest, a better team.

They, too, were hampered by suspensions but in Robben and Ribery had the two key creative players. This is a German team that explodes a lot of myths surrounding the nation's football and one coached by a man, in Jupp Heynckes, heavily influenced by his time in Spain and Portugal.

Having scored 130 goals this season up until last night told its own story even if Bayern went into it without having won a trophy.

Bayern were hugely wasteful with Gomez, in particular, contriving to miss chance after chance while Muller spurned the clearest of them all in the first period when he volleyed wide.

It all came about as Robben ran riot, weaving through and seeing a low shot deflected onto the bar or switching play with instant, clever passes.

Having spent three, at times unhappy, years at Chelsea - where no-one doubted his talent but his commitment was questioned - he threatened to tear his former club apart. Accused of playing as if he were made of glass at Stamford Bridge, here the winger threatened to shatter Chelsea's hopes.

This team - like the domestic champions Borussia Dortmund who boast Mario Goetze and Marco Reus - are symbolic of the coming, expected dominance of Germany. Young, exciting players such as Toni Kroos and Muller are studded throughout Bayern while powerful personalities such as Bastien Schweinsteiger dominate the midfield although there was vulnerability in the defence with midfielders Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and Diego Contento drafted in as makeshift defenders.

But Chelsea were hanging on in there. They worked their way to half-time without conceding and there was a palpable sense of growing anxiety from Bayern. Their supporters set off flares, smoke encircling the stadium and their team needed to start lighting up the occasion for them again.

Chelsea's discipline - John Obi Mikel and Frank Lampard providing a formidable shield ahead of a defence constantly re-doubling its effort with Ashley Cole simply outstanding and Didier Drogba the best defensive header of the ball on the pitch - was phenomenal, even if their lack of creativity didn't enhance the occasion. It felt, as in Barcelona, like defence against attack at times and the frustration continued with Ribery flagged for offside as he swept a rebound home. It heightened the wall of noise even further with the Chelsea fans providing admirable competition.

By now, Bayern's attacking was becoming frantic, a little hurried.

Their fans feared it was a re-run of the 1999 final. Chelsea were settled in their defensive block as shot after shot was charged down or miscued. Everyone sensed it could come down to one chance, one mistake and in the dying minutes Muller, finally, headed home.

It wasn't to be though, as Drogba fired in a brilliant header from a corner to level things and send the game into extra time.

Robben had the chance to seal it in the first period after Drogba turned villain in bringing down Ribery in the box, but Petr Cech was up to the task, saving the spot kick and ensuring yet another Champions League finale would go the distance to a penalty shootout.