Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich: Champions League Final blog

Hermann - Another thing to be considered when viewing players of yesteryear is the systems that came into play at the height of their playing careers. Kurt Hamrin amassed his goals during the years 1955-1967 when "catenaccio", the defensive wall, was at it's most popular???? usage in Serie A So when viewing the top 20 scorers of all time in the league only Altafini (5th) with 250 goals,,Hamrin (7th) with 190 goals & Vinicio (20th) with156 goals played the majority of their games in those years. Another measure for comparison is Baggio (6th) with 205 goals & Del Piero (8th) with 188 goals (yes Roberto) will give a more "modern" comparison as to this right winger's accomplishments. Cheers jb

Thing is j binnie I can still hear the unmistakeable tones of Kenneth Wostenholmes voice as I watched that match on TV & what he is saying over & over again in my head is Gento. Here's a clip of the man. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDSt-eAOrZg The other week I posed the question of whether these old timers could cut the mustard in the face of modern defences ,improved tactics & fitness etc. Somebody, could have been yourself flipped that thought over & said that maybe that players like Gento could have been even better ,given the benefit of those same modern advancements in football. If so its a scary thought to imagine 2013 Gento playing in the Champions League last Saturday night at Wembley.

You lucky bastard..........I was aware of the match. Seen highlights of it long ago on SBS. In any case I was made aware of that match when I was in the 7th Grade by an old time school buddy who was a football nut. Haven't seen the highlights for a long while. A little bit one sided for my liking but still a very significant and important match. As for the Liverpool vs AC Milan match I referred to as my benchmark, I went for a match that would be deemed a modern day classic and I worked with the time frame of 10 years as provided by the other roar poster AZ_RBB. Most people on here would remember that Liverpool match, but if people aren't aware of the Eintracht vs Real Madrid then they should be and thanks to you they now are :D Now where are those highlights again.

Hermann -Yes ,I was lucky enough to be one of that 127,000,& such was the crush for public transport that evening after the game I did see the team bus being applauded as it made it's journey into the city centre.Everyone has heard of Di Stefano & Puskas but also on that night I was priveleged to see one of the most devastating left wingers I have ever seen, Gento, the Spanish flyer, who was gifted with exceptional ball skills even at speeds approaching that of an Olympic sprinter.There are many such players from that era who are now apparently forgotten,Kurt Hamrin,the Swedish winger who dominated Italian scoring charts for years,& Tom Finney who could play international class football on any wing & even do the same as a centre forward.Many watch these guys now & say the game was slower,but these men,manyof whom were not full time,would have had the sane impact today had they enjoyed the many improvements to gear,fitness ,etc. Thanks for asking. jb

Did you see that final 1960? Just asking...

makes you wonder. what sort of impact Gotze would of had if he wasn't "injured" slash going to play for the opponents in a few months. i guess we'll never know! as infuriating as i often find Robben. i was happy for him in the end especially after the heartbreak of 2012.

Re "sudden death ending situation" even if the equaliser hadn't come so soon. i don't think Bayern would've changed much at all. the semis against Barca showed that they're not the type to sit back in any scenario. whereas EPL teams seems to be content with stepping back a bit once theyre up 1-0 Re man of the match. Robben was spectacular. Holland are my second team in internationals and it kills me that he doesn't do that in orange. i guess he's stepped on too many toes over there. but the fact that only one of those 1-on-1s went in shows that Weidenfeller had an incredible game as well and if Dortmund had won would've deserved MotM.

Jukes You are probably too young to remember but the 59/60 final played in front of 127,000 people is widely recognised as the greatest ever (if there is such an accolade). In those days of limited air travel the vast majority of that crowd were "locals" who in recent months had seen their favourites,Glasgow Rangers ,thrashed 6-3 and 6-1 by Eintracht so, as you can imagine, the Germans were regarded as the local "sentimental favourites" and this was only strengthened when the Germans took the lead,Then the machine clicked into gear and the rest is history,Real 7 (Puskas 4 DiStefano3) Eintracht 3, a 10 goal final between 2 teams dedicated to scoring goals. Such was the impact on fans that the vast majority of that huge crowd clapped their way through the final minutes and long after the whistle had blown,in fact it was reported that when the team bus ran from the ground to the hotel the people were still lining the streets and applauding. A strange experience for 2 teams in a "foreign" country. jb

thats why i said pure quality rather outright best. it wasn't the most eventful, entertaining or see-sawing game. but from a technical standpoint it was mouth watering. i will never forget the 05 final. as a man utd fan i'm often reluctant to admit that the 05 final is actually my favourite football match of all time.

You are right -- this was a fantastic game. Dortmund tried to wear out some old legs in Bayern, and the tactic might have worked if the game had gone to extra time. Schweinstager had a quiet game by his standards, but gradually improved. Ribery also quiet except for the occasional feint or dive, but he also did more than most players will dream of. Robben had a couple of misses but was eventually going to score if given aother go -- and he left it pretty late! Both goalkeepers were brilliant. I was pleased to see Bayern win, but Dortmund was not disgraced at all. A great advertisement for European football -- especially of the German variety.

AZ - You are comparing like with like. Here we had 2 teams,not playing for points, but in what is termed a "sudden death ending" situation so there was no real reason to "shut the door" for the equalising penalty came too quickly after the original opener for the Bayern coach to change his tactical plan and in fact the winner came so near the game's end as to nullify any tactical change the Dusseldorf man could have made,so what we had was two teams with the same idea,score more goals than the other. Result---- end to end, non stop action, as you described. From a purists point of view the fitness and tight marking of both teams saw a more than usual number of long passes creeping into the game as defences tried to relieve pressure build up but this only leads to possession turnover quicker than usual and in fact adds to the excitement, The two goalkeepers did more than earn their keep with some wonderful saves but in Robben, Bayern had just that little spark that makes all the difference,after all he was through on one on one situations with the Dortmund keeper at least 4 times that I recall and yet only scored once. Man of the match - no contest - the little Dutchman. jb

This was a great final but for me the final between Liverpool vs AC Milan in 2005 is the benchmark. It will take some game to knock that match off my best ever CL Final.

i think that was 9th or 10th CL final i've watched live. in terms of pure quality it's the best i've ever seen. the pace of the game was jaw dropping, the distribution was swift and far from predictable, in true german style the passing was precise and efficient and the defending was disciplined with any lapses in concentration punished severely. no passing to death. no parking the bus. evidently i have bought into the hype around german football lately. but i don't think the likes of barca, real etc etc are that far behind. bring on season 2013/14 in Europe, Asia and at home. will hopefully be a wonderful lead in to Brazil 2014.

Awesome game, every bar in Singapore jammed packed & rocking watching. Love how football unites & grips the world like no other sport could ever dream of.

I personally don't buy into all this hype surrounding Neymar Jr. Every time I've seen him play for Brazil he's been terrible. Barcelona have a fantastic youngster in Thiago Alcantra, they're rumoured to be selling him to Manchester Utd. I for one think spending €50m on Neymar Jr will be a waste of money.

Barcelona close to signing Neymar, according to Spanish press already signed. They may have a say in this, but yes Bayern are looking the goods for the next few years.

No side has ever retained the Champions League, so I guess that will be Pep's aim. On the whole, this Bayern side is fantastic. I can see them matching their legendary side of the 1970s, and winning the trophy 3 years in a row.

That touch by Robben to get the ball around the keeper at such a time, in such a game, was pure class. Incredible composure.

Good work Matt under 'extreme' circumstances !!! A very long black now?