TheSportsCampus

Chelsea defeated Bayern Munich in a thrilling penalty shootout to win the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club's history. The Allianz Arena witnessed a Champions League final that was marked with some poor quality finishing from Bayern Munich and some insipid football from Chelsea until Thomas Muller opened the scoring late in the game.

The final took off once the deadlock was broken and ceased to be a drab scene of one way traffic. Didier Drogba's stellar equaliser resulted in a 30 minute extra time period of play that witnessed a missed penalty and a complete change in momentum. The penalty shootout, like the game, turned out to be extremely topsy-turvy but finally Drogba hammered the final nail in Bayern's coffin to make it the greatest night in the Premier League club's history. (Match Report)

Bayern Munich

Manuel Neuer ·- 7.0

The German No.1 had little to do throughout regulation time until he conceded a razor bullet header from Didier Drogba. Neuer made a crucial save of Juan Mata in the shootout and scored a penalty himself, but his last ditch efforts weren't enough to bring the home team glory.

Philipp Lahm - 7.0

The Captain had little to do from a defensive point of view for most of the game but was still the best defender in red. He wasn't his usual self in attack for most of the game, until extra-time when he came to life, creating a number of chances for Bayern. He also converted his penalty in the shootout, alhough Petr Cech did get a touch to it.

Diego Contento - 6.0

The left-back had a decent game as he first kept out Kalou and then Torres. Chelsea rarely threatened down the right and David Alaba's replacement kept most things under control.

Anatoliy Tymoshchuk - 7.0

Tymoshchuk was expected to be a weakling in the Bayern defence but he held his ground throughout the game and stood tall against Drogba. The Ivorian did manage to equalise from a set piece but the Ukranian centre half gave little away otherwise.

Arjen Robben - 6.0

Robben missed a penalty, took numerous selfish chances and miscued many a cross. The Dutchman probably had the maximum number of touches in the game but made a meal of the individual possession. Robben was expected to be Bayern's star player but it wasn't to be.

Bastien Schweinsteiger - 7.0

The German International was another strong performer in midfield who helped Bayern dominate proceedings throughout the 90 minutes. But in a cruel twist of fate Schweinsteiger's penalty struck the post and gave Chelsea the advantage to take the victory.

Franck Ribery - 6.0 (Substitution Olic 97')

Ribery was a real threat throughout the night and kept Jose Bosingwa on his toes .The Frenchman was part of most Bayern moves but like his fellow winger Robben he was far too selfish. He did create a fw chances for his team-mates but failed to make the right decision on many occasions. He had to subbed in extra time after he was brought down by Drogba in the penalty box.

Tony Kroos - 7.0

The young midfielder was lively throughout the game, taking shots from outside the box and delivering some decent balls in. He did give away possession on a couple of occasions but was otherwise a considerable threat to the Chelsea defence.

Mario Gomez - 6.0

For a player who has scored 13 goals in the Champions League this season, some of the missed opportunities seemed rather unblievable. Gomez had Bayern's biggest chance in the first half but he shot well over the bar and it was just a night where he failed to have his shooting boots on. The Bundesliga top scorer did, however, convert his penalty to give his team a 2-0 lead in the shootout.

Thomas Muller - 7.0 (Substituion van Buyten 87')

Scorer of the late Bayern goal in the game, Muller missed a host of chances throughout the game that gives him a low score on the player rating. The German seemed to have headed in the winner and etched his name alongside greats such as his namesake Gerd Muller but it was not be. One hopes, for the sake of Germany, he has his shooting boots on during Euro 2012.

Substitutions:

Daniel van Buyten - 5.0

Jupp Heynckes sent in Van Buyten in the hope that Bayern wouldn't concede any foolish goals late on and would hold onto their slender lead to lift the crown. The Belgian failed to perform this task as Drogba slammed in a late header to equalise for Chelsea.

Ivica Olic - 5.0

Olic entered the game at a time when Chelsea were full of confidence and Bayern had dropped their shoulders down. The Croatian was the first Bayern player to miss his penalty.

Chelsea

Petr Cech - 9.0

A frontrunner for man of the match, the Czech International saved 3 penalties in the game, one in extra time and two others in the penalty shootout to snatch the Champions League crown from Bayern Munich. The goalie gave a performance of a life time making some fantastic saves in regulation time to restrict the Bavarian's contribution to the scoreline to just one in regulation time.

Ashley Cole - 8.0

The English left back was a huge performer on the day. He defended his socks off, scored a spectacular penalty in the shootout and never seemed to run out of steam despite the 120 minutes of football. The defender did allow a lot of free space to his opponents but put in the required tackles, blocks and headers when really required.

Gary Cahill - 7.0

Cahill's mercurial rise continued as he found himself playing a crucial part in Chelsea UEFA Champions League victory. The centre half kept things as tight as he possibly could under the German onslaught. He came up with the first block of the game, which set the tone for the kind of night his team were going to have.

David Luiz - 7.0

The defender spent the whole 120 minutes on the pitch and kept his cool throughout. He was a massive presence at the back as Chelsea absorbed Bayern's fury for over 120 minutes. His penalty kick in the shootout was emphatic, clearly showing that the player was full of confidence.

Jose Bonsingwa - 7.0

Bosingwa had a rough night against Franck Ribery who took on the Portuguese and beat him on quite a few occasions in the game. The Portuguese maintained his defensive discipline though as he forced Ribery down the the line rather than in-field on numerous occasions. He lasted the whole 120 minute stretch and remained solid till the very end.

Ryan Bertrand - 6.0 (Substitution Malouda 73')

The 22 year old was making his Champions League debut at the grandest of occasions and seemed quite intimidated by it all. He played in front of Ashley Cole on the left and did a good job of keeping a tab on Arjen Robben and Philipp Lahm. His contributions were frugal in the final third but there was little he could do considering how poorly his team were playing on the offense.

Frank Lampard - 7.0

Interim captain Frank Lampard was a strong performer in Chelsea's midfield, who kept possession well and passed the ball with considerable ease. The Englishman got little support from his other midfield partners as they all found themselves battered by Bayern's talented flair players. Lampard drove his penalty straight down the goal which enthused his teammates and helped them to victory.

John Obi Mikel - 5.0

Mikel was dominated in midfield by the likes of Schweinsteiger and Ribery and performed poorly in his task of protecting the back four. He was expected to clean up in front of the defence and push the Bayern midfield into their own half but failed to rise to the occasion.

Salomon Kalou - 6.0 (Substitution 84')

The Ivorian had Chelsea's biggest chance in the first half but shot straight into the hands of Manuel Neuer. In a game that saw the Blues attack look as lifeless as a mummy, Kalou seemed most active, making some swift runs in the Bayern half. He was replaced by Fernando Torres with little over five minutes to go.

Juan Mata - 6.0

The Spaniard had a poor game, despite spending every minute of the game on the field. His passes weren't clinical and he failed to create anything substantial with his pace and creativity. Mata was the sole player wearing a blue shirt who missed a penalty.

Didier Drogba - 8.0

The Ivorian scored the late equaliser as well as the winning penalty in the shootout to hand his team the Champions League trophy on a platter. He was poorly serviced throughout the game but took the few opportunities he had with great panache and power. Drogba conceded a silly penalty in extra time though which may have turned him from hero to villain but thanks to Cech, the penalty had no bearing on the game.

Substitutes:

Florent Malouda - 5.0

The Frenchman made little difference to Chelsea's attack on his arrival. He came in place of Ryan Bertrand a little over the hour mark.

Fernando Torres - 7.0

Torres was a breathe of fresh air for the Blues as he livened the Chelsea attack with his work ethic and his pace. The Spaniard was placed on the wings as he replaced Salomon Kalou and he was quite a handful for his opponents as he spent a little over 30 minutes on the field.