The best photos from the 2013 Champions League Final in Wembley between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund focus on Arjen Robben, who had to hit his head in a brick wall called Roman Weidenfeller a few times before scoring the winner a few minutes from extra time, earning his long-awaited redemption from the “loser” label.
Manuel Neuer made some nice stretched for the camera in the first half, while Neven Subotic provided one of the incredible moments of the match with his goalline clearance in the 71st minute, keeping Dortmund alive just for a little bit more.
Just Before Kick-Off
Dortmund entering their second final, Bayern entering their 10th (losing five of them), and the whole pre-show atmosphere was about the war and battle between the two clubs over the last three seasons, set to be the backdrop of a fantastic final.
Manuel Neuer Stretching His Limbs
After a cagey start, Dortmund were the first to start throwing punches. Manuel Neuer picked up two impressive saves, one of them a brilliant reaction with his legs to a tough shot by Kuba that went to a corner as Bayern struggled with the Dortmund pressure in the first 20 minutes.
Robben to the Face
Up until the 89th minute, it looked like a regular final for Arjen Robben: Miss, after miss, after miss in one on one situations. One of them was stopped by the face of Roman Weidenfeller.
The Last of Neuer’s Brilliance
In the 35th minute, the most talked about striker in Europe for the last month or so found himself in a one on one with Manuel Neuer, but the German goalkeeper was quick to react, sprawling his limbs before Lewandowski got a chance to think, and parried the last big chance Dortmund had from open play during the match.
Mario Mandzukic, 1-0
A brilliant assist from Franck Ribery left Arjen Robben free to put a low cross in to a wide open Mario Mandzukic, who had no problem finding the net for the first time in the match and give Bayern Munich a deserved lead after 60 minutes.
Neuer Going the Wrong Way
Almost 10 minutes later, a foolish foul by Dante on Marco Reus inside the box led to a penalty kick, converted by Ilkay Gundogan, giving Dortmund the 1-1 result they looked for. The problem was they didn’t look hard enough for a second goal.
Subotic Saves the Day
A minute after Dortmund evened things up, Thomas Muller found himself in a fantastic opportunity, beating Roman Weidenfeller in the one on one. He didn’t take a powerful enough swing at the ball, strolling towards the goal while Neven Subotic and Arjen Robben were racing towards the goalline, with the Dortmund centre back arriving a split second earlier for the goalline clearance.
Robben’s Redemption
Another brilliant Franck Ribery pass, this time putting Arjen Robben in a one on one (another one, yes), led to Bayern’s second goal and the ultimate winner at the 89th minute. Robben, with all those talks of being a choker and final(s) loser, deserved to score the redeeming goal.
Tears & Agony
Marco Reus broke down in tears on the ground. Jurgen Klopp looked very different than the filled-with-energy manager earlier in the day. Losing in the 89th minute, even though they were the inferior team for most of the match, is a hard blow to recover from.
The 2013 European Champions
Bayern Munich join Liverpool with their fifth European Championship, their first since 2001 and following two final losses in 2010 and 2012.
A Final Time for Jupp?
Jupp Heynckes joined an elite club of managers who have the Champions League with two different clubs, with his previous title going back to 1998 with Real Madrid. Some say this was his last match before retirement, but this season has proved Heynckes still has a place in the world of football.