Ribery and Robben combine to give Bayern victory

LONDON (Reuters): A brilliant Franco-Dutch move involving Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben in the final minutes, settled a memorable all-German Champions League final as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at Wembley on Saturday. Frenchman Ribery’s backheel allowed Dutchman Robben to break through a gap in the Dortmund defence and dance round goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller to score the 89th minute winner.

The goal sent Bayern’s fans into raptures as their team became European champions for the fifth time to match Liverpool’s haul of titles. Only Real Madrid with nine triumphs and AC Milan with seven have been crowned champions more often. Bayern soaked up almost non-stop Dortmund pressure before going ahead in the 60th minute, when Ribery and Robben again combined in the build-up to set up Croatian Mario Mandzukic to hook in with his left foot from close range from a Robben cross.

Dortmund, who fashioned seven scoring chances in the first half, pulled level when Bayern defender Dante clumsily kicked Marco Reus in the stomach eight minutes later with Ilkay Guendogan sending Manuel Neuer the wrong way with his penalty. But just as the match appeared destined for extra time, Robben, who missed a penalty in last season’s final, pounced to collect Ribery’s clever backheel and score the winner.

“So many people told me I’d score a goal tonight. The first few chances I missed. I got another chance at the end and took advantage of it,” Robben said. “It means a lot to me. It’s still hard to fathom. I’ll be able to put it in words later. There are so many emotions right now, it’s incredible.” The victory eased the pain of Bayern’s defeats by Inter Milan in the 2010 final, and the heartbreaking defeat to Chelsea on penalties in their own stadium a year ago as they lifted the European Cup for the first time since 2001.

Bayern’s success puts them in touching distance of an unprecedented treble for a German club, as they have already been crowned Bundesliga champions and play VfB Stuttgart in the domestic cup final in Berlin next week. It also means Bayern’s 68-year-old coach Heynckes, who is leaving at the end of the season, becomes only the fourth manager to win the European Cup, with two different clubs following his earlier success with Real Madrid in 1998.