2013 UEFA Champions League Final

Lore & Background

This was the first time in the history of the Champions League (and European Cup) that the final was contested between two German sides. There were three previous Champions League finals between two clubs from the same country: 2000 (Spain), 2003 (Italy), and 2008 (England). It was Bayern Munich's 10th European Cup/Champions League final, third all-time behind Real Madrid (12) and A.C. Milan (11). They won four of those finals: in 1974, 1975, 1976, and most recently in 2001.

The 2013 final was Bayern's third final in four years; they lost in both 2010 and 2012 (as the first team since 1984 to reach the Final held in their home stadium), adding to previous final losses in 1982, 1987, and 1999. For Dortmund, this was their second Champions League final, with them winning their first title in 1997. The next season as defending champions, they defeated Bayern in their only previous meetings in European competitions, winning 1–0 on aggregate in the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, before being eliminated 2–0 on aggregate in the semi-finals by Real Madrid, managed at the time by Jupp Heynckes.

Reader's Guide

The match ended 2–1 in regular time, with no extra time played. Bayern Munich won the match with goals from Mario Mandžukić and Arjen Robben, while Borussia Dortmund's goal came from an İlkay Gündoğan penalty.

Did You Know?

• A viewership of 21.6 million on the German ZDF and over 360 million worldwide has been reported, making it the most watched sports broadcast of 2013.
• One week later, Bayern won the 2012–13 DFB-Pokal and, having already won the 2012–13 Bundesliga, completed the continental treble.
• The match ball for the final was the Adidas Finale Wembley, which featured the same 'Starball' panel configuration as the last three finals.