Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea Highlights: Pivotal Moments of Epic UEFA Final

The UEFA Champions League Final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea was an epic match that didn't see a single goal until near the end of the match.

The early action on the pitch featured more hard fouls than anything else, and in the end, there were 37 fouls between the two squads. Though to be fair, Chelsea committed 26 of them.

The players saved their energy for an insane finish, taking the game into extra time and ultimately deciding the contest on penalty kicks. Chelsea ended up winning the game on a Didier Drogba penalty kick.

There were a few key pivotal moments that made such a finish possible. Here are the moments in the match that stood out the most to me.

Gary Cahill blocks Bastian Schweinsteiger's shot at 5-Minute Mark

This was a huge moment in the match, because the entire contest could have turned out much differently if Bayern had scored so early on.

Cahill's early block proved to be a pivotal moment in the match, especially in hindsight.

Franck Ribery's Goal Denied Due to Penalty at 54-Minute Mark

Bayern's Arjen Robben took a good-looking shot that was masterfully blocked by Cahill, but Ribery followed up the shot and scored. Bayern began to celebrate the goal when the referees called Ribery offsides and negated the goal.

This one was huge. 

Philip Lahm's Cross is Blocked by Chelsea's Ashley Cole at the 66-Minute Mark

Lahm hit a beautiful cross that Cole blocked...with his hand. 

The referee failed to see it that way, though, and Bayern is once again denied.

Thomas Müller Scores First Goal of Match at the 83-Minute Mark

Bayern finally scored after being denied a couple of excellent opportunities. Müller used his head to get the ball into the net, and it was a gorgeous play.

Arjen Robben set him up with a perfect cross, earning a well-deserved assist for his efforts.

Drogba Scores the Equalizer at the 88-Minute Mark

Drogba is a big dude who always seems to come up big for his team at crunch time, and his performance at the Champions League Final proved to be one for the books.

He turned Juan Mata's cross into the net with force, and all Manuel Neuer can do about it is stare as he ends up helping it into the net. Drogba's power was the determining factor on this crucial play.

Drogba Commits Foul in Box, But Arjen Robben Misses Penalty Kick

Drogba nearly turned from hero to goat when he fouled Franck Ribéry within the penalty area, but Arjen Robben did not put his best foot forward, as Petr Cech made a diving save to keep the match square at one.

Chelsea Beats Bayern After Extra Time by Hitting 4 Penalty Kicks to Their 3

After a rather lackluster effort by both squads to win the match in extra time, the match kicked into high gear in a heartbeat as the contest was to be decided by penalty kicks.

It looked like Bayern would win after Juan Mata's opening effort for Chelsea was saved.

Then, Ivica Olic had his kick miraculously saved by Petr Cech. He was almost in tears knowing he had missed his opportunity.

Ashley Cole then hit a nice shot to tie things up at three apiece. 

Then, Schweinsteiger's shot hits the post on Cech's left side. Honestly, the shot looked like it should have gone in, but somehow, it gained just enough of the post to be denied.

Finally, it was up to Drogba. He completely faked out Neuer and drilled the shot home on the left side. 

Conclusion

This match could have been decided multiple times by both teams, but as luck would have it we saw them both miss out on many of them. Bad for them, good for us viewers at home. 

The resulting plethora of missed chances gave us the privilege of watching an epic ending to an epic Champions League Final. 

Both teams played their hearts out, but only one can walk away victorious.

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