Just more than a year after Bayern Munich lost the Champions League Final to FC Chelsea in penalty shootouts, the German Bundesliga champion returned to the final – this time against fellow German rival Borussia Dortmund.
For days, the German media talked about the first Champions League Final between two German teams, which took the fans’ anticipation to new heights. When I saw Bayern’s captain Phillip Lahm walk onto the field at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, however, my anticipation gave way to fear.
Last year, Munich lost in a heartbreaking manner, but when Bayern’s Thomas Müller scored in the 83nd minute, I thought the trophy was already won. For the first time since 2001 Munich would win Europe’s highest honor. Then, Didier Drogba scored the equalizer off the only corner Chelsea took the entire game. Hearts stopped beating, while tears appeared on cheeks.
Overtime.
While I convinced myself that extra play would only postpone the celebrations, Bayern missed a penalty kick in the 95th minute, causing Bayern to lose 4-3.
Hearts stopped beating for a second time, while tears became little waterfalls. I stopped talking for the next 30 minutes in denial that Bayern lost Champions League Final in 2010, a game it was meant to win.
The German national team lost in the semi-finals of the World Cup and European Championship in 2010 and 2012, respectively, players Bastian Schweinsteiger, Müller and Lahm were called the winless generation.
For the media, only an international title is deserving of counting as a legitimate victory, which is the reason my heart skipped a beat when Munich was about to start the game on Saturday. If it lost, the misery would continue. It would have been called the winless team for at least another 12 months.
I have changed my ways for this year’s final — to finally see Bayern win. Instead of wearing my Bayern jersey and watching it at a friend’s house, I wore normal clothes and watched the game in public on a big screen. I even watched all preliminary games in Athens instead of Germany.
It wasn’t until the 62nd minute when Bayern relieved its fans with a goal. However, Dortmund scored the equalizer six minutes later and the time ran towards 90 minutes. I already imagined Schweinsteiger having to go into another penalty shot out again.
Of all players, Robben, the player who could have been the hero last year, scored the winning goal in the 88th minute. Bayern’s players hugged each other and tears of joy were finally shared.
A year and six days after I sat on the ground in disbelief and denial, the only thing I could do was raise my fist.
The past three years as Bayern Munich fan had been too exhausting.
am794811@ohio.edu
