2012 Champions League Final vs Chelsea FC

Lore & Background

It was the first Champions League final to be held at the Allianz Arena (known as Fußball Arena München for the final). As tenants of the Arena, this meant Bayern were the first finalists to have home advantage since 1984. Both teams progressed to the knockout stages by finishing top of their group. Bayern then beat Basel, Marseille and Real Madrid to reach the final, while Chelsea knocked out Napoli, Benfica and defending champions Barcelona.

Bayern took the lead late in the second half through Thomas Müller, but Didier Drogba equalised for Chelsea five minutes later to take the game to extra time, in which Arjen Robben missed an awarded penalty, Petr Čech saving the low drive. The teams stayed level at 1–1 and the match went to a penalty shoot-out, which Chelsea won 4–3 to clinch their first Champions League title. In doing so, they became the first London club to win the tournament, the fifth English club and 22nd overall.

Reader's Guide

As winners, Chelsea took part in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup, losing 4–1 to Atlético Madrid, the winners of the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League. The victory also allowed them to enter the following season's Champions League competition (having failed to qualify for it by their league finishing position) at the expense of London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who would otherwise have entered the competition having finished fourth in the Premier League. Chelsea also represented UEFA at the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup, entering at the semi-final stage; however, they were beaten 1–0 by Corinthians in the final.

Did You Know?

• The Allianz Arena was announced as the venue on 30 January 2010, though it was referred to as 'Fußball Arena München' for the match.
• The stadium was illuminated in green and turquoise during the match to represent the official UEFA emblem.
• Bayern Munich fans called the match 'Finale dahoam' (Bavarian for 'final at home').
• This was the first time since 2007 that neither participant were current champions of their domestic league.
• The match was the fourth occasion a team reached a European Cup final scheduled at their own home ground, and the first since the tournament was rebranded to the UEFA Champions League.