The final, played in front of a partisan Bayern crowd at the Allianz Arena, looked to be slipping away from Chelsea when Thomas Müller headed the hosts in front in the 83rd minute. Drogba had the last word in normal time, though, rising to head home Chelsea’s equaliser in the 88th minute to force extra time.
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Moments into the additional period, Drogba turned from hero to nearly villain, fouling Franck Ribéry in the box to concede a penalty. Arjen Robben stepped up, but Petr Čech guessed correctly and made the save, keeping the scores level. Neither side could find a winner across the additional 30 minutes, sending the final to penalties.
With the shootout tied at 3-3, Drogba stepped up to take the decisive kick. Years later, he revealed on an ITV documentary that he’d seriously considered a Panenka chip down the middle, having noticed Manuel Neuer diving every time, before deciding against it at the last moment. Instead, he beat Neuer to seal a 4-3 shootout win and Chelsea’s first Champions League title.
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Drogba was named UEFA’s Man of the Match, with Čech taking the fan vote for his own decisive contribution.
Photo: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
