Everyone told me I`d score the winning goal:Robben
The Netherlands international decided the final with an 89th minute strike, and maintained that his winner was predicted prior to the game, while Lahm and Neuer also weighed in.
|Last Updated: May 26, 2013, 09:08 AM IST|Source: Bureau
London: The Netherlands international decided the final with an 89th minute strike, and maintained that his winner was predicted prior to the game, while Lahm and Neuer also weighed in.
Arjen Robben has revealed that his match-winning goal that sealed Bayern Munich’s 2-1 Champions League final victory over Borussia Dortmund was foreseen by fans before the game.
The 29-year-old clinched the title for the Bavarian giants against their Bundeslgia rivals with a deft finish in the 89th minute, after goals from Mario Mandzukic and Ilkay Gundogan threatened to send the final into extra time at 1-1.
And Robben, who missed a penalty in extra-time for Bayern in last season’s showpiece shootout defeat against Chelsea was quick to point out that his previous disappointments were on the minds of many of his supporters.
“I heard so many people saying in the last weeks that they would grant me this [game-winning goal]. They told me: ‘You’ll score the goal,’ said Robben.
"The first miss was a really big chance. With the second one, [Roman] Weidenfeller stood very close in front of me and I shot him in the face.
"At half-time I thought: this can`t be happening again. You can`t miss a big chance again and than have a bad ending."
The Netherlands international was still in a state of disbelief at the manner of his side’s victory, explaining: "I had a good feeling when we got here today, but to actually win the Champions League is unbelievable.
“It’s not quite sunk in yet, there’s still a lot of emotion. I just reacted to Franck [Ribery’s pass] and went through [to score].
“It was an even game, we had chances and they had chances. This was such a close match, a match with two teams at the same level.”
"We’re into the history books. We beat Barcelona in the semi-finals and then to win in the final; you can’t ask for any more."
FCB captain Philipp Lahm also hailed Bayern’s European redemption after the heartbreak of last season, telling Sky: “We had to go through so much, especially with that lost final at home last year.
"But everybody worked unbelievably hard in the last year and we finally were rewarded.”
Manuel Neuer was frank about his recollection of the previous campaign, exclaiming: “I have to admit, after it stayed at 1-1 I was scared like s**t!
“You remember how it went last year. The feeling when we scored late on this time was indescribable.”
Bayern now boast five Champions League titles to their name, level with Liverpool as the third highest total of all time, after finishing as losing finalists in both the 2010 and 2012 tournaments.
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