THIS LIVE REPORT IS NOW CLOSING after Chelsea defied the odds to win the European Cup for the first time in their history against a Bayern Munich side who dominated the game and the chances but couldn't hold their nerve in a penalty shoot-out.
Ivorian striker Didier Drogba was the hero for Roberto Di Matteo's side, scoring an bullet header after 88 minutes to take the game to an improbable extra-time before slotting the winning penalty in the nerve-shredding shoot-out that Chelsea won 4-3.
Bayern had gone ahead with a goal from Thomas Mueller after 83 minutes after having the best of a largely one-sided game in which they created numerous chances they couldn't convert.
The victory means Chelsea have become the first London team ever to win Europe's elite club competition, and the fourth English club ever to become champions of Europe.
2210GMT: This from AFP's Katherine Haddon among Chelsea fans in central London: 'At the St James' Tavern near Piccadilly Circus, there were hundreds inside as well as outside, crowding around pub windows to watch the penalty shoot-out unfold.
'When Drogba scored the winner, the fans erupted with chants of "Chelsea, Chelsea" while one couple even did an impromptu dance to celebrate.
'Constantin Kovtunets, 36, and Srymbek Mukhametov, 32, two Chelsea fans from Kazakhstan who were in London on business, were among those enjoying the moment.
'Kovtunets said: "It's a dream to be in London and see them win. We wanted to see how people would celebrate when they won. People were screaming with happiness."
'His friend, wearing a Chelsea scarf, added simply: "Cech is the man."'
2153 GMT: The Chelsea players are passing the large silver cup down the line - and they lift Di Matteo up for their manager's chance to lift the trophy. Surely he's now done enough to keep the job for next season after the FA Cup win and now this?
2151 GMT: Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich lifts the trophy - his millions have finally paid off.
2149 GMT: The Chelsea players are lined up on the balcony at the Allianz Arena - and they lift the European Cup!
2147 GMT: Chelsea's players, led by manager Roberto Di Matteo, climb the steps at the Allianz Arena to pick up their winners' medals - and Di Matteo is congratulated by owner Roman Abramovich.
2145 GMT: Bayern's players look shattered as they collect their runners-up medals - they probably can't quite work out how they lost a final they totally dominated.
2140 GMT: The officials are going up the steps to collect their medals, followed by the players of runners-up Bayern Munich.
2136 GMT: "We rode our luck," admits left-back Ashley Cole, who had a fantastic game in Chelsea's back-line.
2135 GMT: Chelsea become only the fifth English club ever to win European Cup, after Manchester United, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.
2132 GMT: CHELSEA ARE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS!!!
2130 GMT: PENALTY SCORED! Bayern 3 Chelsea 4 - Drogba scores to win it for Chelsea!
2128 GMT: PENALTY MISSED! Bayern 3 Chelsea 3 - Schweinsteiger shimmies...and misses - Cech palms it onto the post!
2128 GMT: PENALTY SCORED! Bayern 3 Chelsea 3 - Ashley Cole scores to level it up!
2127 GMT: PENALTY MISSED! Bayern 3 Chelsea 2 - Cech saves from Olic!
2127 GMT: PENALTY SCORED - Bayern 3 Chelsea 2 - Lampard scores
2127 GMT: PENALTY SCORED - Bayern 3 Chelsea 1 - Neuer steps up a squeezes his penalty into the side-netting
2126 GMT: PENALTY SCORED - Bayern 2 Chelsea 1 - Luiz blasts it into the roof of the net.
2125 GMT: PENALTY SCORED - Bayern 2 Chelsea 0 - Gomez scores!
2123 GMT: PENALTY MISSED - Mata's penalty saved!
Bayern 1 Chelsea 0
2122 GMT: PENALTY SCORED - Bayern 1 Chelsea 0
Lahm scores - but only just. Cech got two hands to it.
2121 GMT: So, who will Lady Luck favour in the ultimate footballing lottery? Don't go away...
120 mins - FULL-TIME AFTER EXTRA TIME - Bayern Munich 1 Chelsea 1
There will be penalties in Munich...
119 mins: YELLOW CARD - The referee books Torres for what looked a fairly innocuous challenge on Bayern defender Contento.
115 mins: Free-kick to Bayern 30 yards out as Jon Obi Mikel fouls Schweinsteiger - but Robben's delivery is poor and Cech claims it.
111 mins: Chelsea defender Cahill blocks Gomez's header and Luiz hacks the ball away from the danger area.
107 mins: Great chance for Bayern's Olic at the back post but he drags his cross-shot wide of Cech's goal.
105 + 2 mins: HALF-TIME, EXTRA-TIME - Bayern Munich 1 Chelsea 1
101 mins: Bayern still keeping the pressure up despite squandering that golden chance -- though Torres has made a couple of good runs up the other end to relieve the waves of Bayern attacks.
98 mins - SUBSTITUTION - Ivica Olic replaces Franck Ribery, who couldn't recover from that kick in the Achilles from Drogba.
94 mins - ...and Cech saves Robben's penalty!
He goes the right way, the ball struck low to his left almost squirms under him but the Czech 'keeper keeps it out!
93 mins: PENALTY - Bayern have a penalty after Drogba clumsily trips Ribery from behind in the area. Will it be hero to zero?
YELLOW CARD - Drogba in the book for what was a needless foul.
2042 GMT: Bayern get extra-time under way again in Munich... who will claim European glory?
2040 GMT: Well, what a finish - after Bayern finally got their noses in front few could have seen a way back into the game for Chelsea, who hadn't forced Bayern's 'keeper into a single save in the previous 88 minutes. But Didier Drogba popped up to keep Di Matteo's men in it...
90 + 4 - FULL-TIME - Bayern Munich 1 Chelsea 1
Extra-time to come - stay with us...
90 + 3 mins - Ribery fouls Mata 25 yards out - Drogba's lining it up? He couldn't, could he? But the striker blasts it high and handsomely over the bar.
88 mins: GOAL - Bayern Munich 1 Chelsea 1
Didier Drogba levels it from a corner - incredible! Torres won the corner on the right and Juan Mata whipped it in for the big Ivorian to slam a bullet header at the near post. Neueer gt a hand to it but couldn't keep it out.
87 mins - YELLOW CARD - Luiz in the book after a spat with Ribery.
87 mins: SUBSTITUTION - Defender Daniel Van Buyten on for the goalscorer Mueller
84 mins SUBSTITUTION - Di Matteo reacts immediately by sending striker Fernando Torres on for Salomon Kalou. Is it too little too late?
83 mins - GOAL - Bayern Munich 1 Chelsea 0
Thomas Mueller scores with a header at the back post that goes in off the underside of the crossbar! Cole lost his man and Bayern finally have a deserved lead.
81 mins: YELLOW CARD - Ashley Cole gets a caution for sweeping away Mueller's legs on the right and stopping the Bayern counter-attack. Bayern have had 23 attempts on goal to Chelsea's five so far.
78 mins: Great play from Ribery on the left, the ball falls to Mueller in the box but he drags it wide! Big chance wasted there and the frustration of Bayern's fans is palpable.
73 mins: SUBSTITUTION - Florent Malouda replaces Chelsea's Champions League debutant Ryan Bertrand, who's put in a solid if unspectacular shift on the left of midfield.
71 mins: Mata out to Kalou on the right but a Bayern defender blocks the cross.
Solid shot from Ribery at the other end but Cech gets everything behind it by his righthand post.
67 mins: Bayern are keeping up the pressure here - a cross to the back post almost reaches Mueller but Chelsea centre-back Luiz gets vital foot in.
Bayern have had 13 corners to Chelsea's none, which tells a story.
58 mins: Superb block again from Chelsea's Cole - he anticipates danger and rushes across the area to block Gomez''s shot from inside the area.
55 mins: Kroos gets the ball on the left and lets fly from 25 yards - but it skews wide and the midfielder had teammates' in the middle there.
53 mins: A shot from Robben cannon's off Cole and drops at Ribery's feet - the Frenchman taps it home, he thinks he's scored but the linesman's flag comes to Chelsea's rescue.
51 mins: Drogba turns 40 yards out and unleashes a dipping effort toward's Neuer's goal but it goes wide of the German 'keeper's lefthand post.
48 mins: Robben breaks clear down the right but Ashley Cole gets a vital block in to stop his cross.
1947 GMT: They're back under way at the Allianz Arena...
Gary Cahill is back out there despite a couple of grabs at his left hamstring in the first half - Chelsea will be hoping he can keep going.
1939 GMT: Bayern had 60% of possession in that half and 13 attempts on goal - Di Matteo will want more in terms of attacking threat from his side after the interval.
45 + 1 mins: HALF-TIME - Bayern Munich 0 Chelsea 0
Roberto Di Matteo will be the happier of the two managers with that scoreline.
43 mins: ...and that's a great chance for Bayern, squandered by Gomez - the German bought some space with a dummy that fooled Cahill in the penalty area but the big striker scoops his shot high over the bar.
41 mins: Bayern work it out to Ribery on the left and he slices it across the goalmouth to Gomez at the back post but the German striker takes a touch and the chance is gone.
37 mins: Good move from Chelsea - Drogba flicks it to Lampard who passes it on to Kalou on the right but his tame shot is saved by Neuer. Probably Chelsea's best chance of the half.
36 mins: Cross in from Bayern's Contento on the left and Mueller connects well in the area but fires it wide.
33 mins: Now, Cahill is fouled by Boateng on the edge of the Bayern area - Drogba and Mata stand over it... but the Spaniard curls it over the crossbar.
31 mins: Bosingwa has a clumsy hack at Ribery's calf on the left touchline and the Frenchman gets treatment.
27 mins: Free-kick to Bayern on the right of the area as David Luiz is deemed to have fouled Kroos. Danger here... but Robben hits the wall.
21 mins: It's all Bayern here - Robben cuts into the box from the left and fires it low towards the goal but Cech deflects it onto the post with his foot. They're getting closer...
18 mins: Nervy moment in the Chelsea area as Frank Lampard plays a poor pass across his own six-yard box to Jose Bosingwa who slices it behind for a corner.
14 mins: A stop-start contest so far, but Bayern have had most of the possession and are posing the greater threat through Franck Ribery on the left.
8 mins: Bayern winger Arjen Robben cuts in from the right in trademark style, moves it onto his left foot but blazes high and wide. An early warning for Chelsea there.
4 mins: It opens up for Bayern's Schweinsteiger on the edge of the box but Gary Cahill gets in a crucial block to deflect it behind.
Toni Kroos shoots wide from the resulting corner.
2 mins: YELLOW CARD - Bastian Schweinsteiger goes in the book for a deliberate handball. That could come back to haunt him.
1845 GMT: KICK-OFF - The referee blows his whistle and Chelsea get the match under way in Munich.
1843 GMT: Both sets of players have filed into the stadium in Munich and are readying themselves for kick-off - the stage is set...
1842 GMT: 'Germany and former Bayern great Paul Breitner runs on to the pitch with the Champions League trophy held aloft, much to the delight of the Bayern fans. Lovely demonstration of pre-match neutrality from UEFA...' AFP's Robert Woollard writes from the Alianz.
1834 GMT: 'Chelsea fans filling the blue end of the Allianz now and are currently enjoying the club's unofficial anthem, the 1969 ska classic Liquidator by Harry J. Allstars,' writes Robert Woollard from the stadium in Munich.
'But Bayern doing their best to drown it out. Not long nowâ¦'
1828 GMT: Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo tells Sky Sports he is confident in his decision to pick 22-year-old Ryan Bertrand for his Champions League debut on the left of midfield.
"(Florent) Malouda picked up a little injury on Sunday and only joined us yesterday," Di Matteo says by way of explanation for the surprise selection.
1820 GMT: Some more from my colleague Ryland James in Munich: 'The five-strong team of officials is also out warming up, led by tonight's referee Pedro Proenca. The quintet are all Portuguese and even they look nervous as the stadium starts to fill up...'
1811 GMT: This from AFP's Ryland James who is at the packe Allianz Arena in the north of the Bavarian capital: 'Bayern are the first team out to warm-up as Chelsea's anthem "Blue is the colour" is played at the stadium just moments after Bayern's fans belt out their song "Stern des Suedens".
1807 GMT: More from my colleague Robert Woollard inside the stadium in Munich: 'According to the stats experts, Bertrand is the first player in the modern history of the Champions League to make his tournament debut in the final. No pressure then.'
1803 GMT: The main surprise with the team line-ups is that Chelsea coach Roberto Di Matteo has handed a Champions League debut to youngster Ryan Bertrand.
In a sign that the Blues will seek to neutralise the threat of Dutch winger Arjen Robben, Di Matteo has picked the defender Bertrand to operate ahead of full-back Ashley Cole on the left wing.
Bertrand, 22, has never played in Europe's elite league before and his selection represents a huge gamble for Chelsea.
1755 GMT: The team line-ups are in - of course both teams are without key players, with Bayern missing Holger Badstuber, David Alaba and Luiz Gustavo and Chelsea without captain John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Raul Meireles and Ramires, all through suspension:
Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1)
Manuel Neuer; Diego Contento, Jerome Boateng, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Philipp Lahm (capt); Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos; Franck Ribery, Thomas Mueller, Arjen Robben; Mario Gomez
Coach: Jupp Heynckes
Chelsea (4-2-3-1)
Petr Cech; Ashley Cole, David Luiz, Gary Cahill, Jose Bosingwa; Frank Lampard (captain), John Obi Mikel; Ryan Bertrand, Juan Mata, Salomon Kalou; Didier Drogba.
Coach: Roberto Di Matteo
Referee: Pedro Proenca (Portugal)
1745 GMT: More from AFP's Robert Woollard in Munich: 'Arjen Robben -- wearing a massive set of headphones -- is one of the first Bayern players out to inspect the pitch. The Bayern fans are lapping this up and give the Dutch winger a huge cheer.'
1740 GMT: This from AFP sports correspondent Robert Woollard at the Allianz Arena in Munich: 'A huge cheer goes up from the Bayern end as the giant screens inside the stadium cut to show their team's arrival.
'The stadium announcer is doing his best to whip up the atmosphere. Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger gets a big round of applause.
'Meanwhile, out on the pitch, Chelsea's suspended captain John Terry -- who will be a frustrated spectator tonight after his sending off in the semi-final -- is soaking up the early atmosphere.'
WELCOME TO AFP'S LIVE REPORT on the Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea which is set to kick off at Bayern's home ground, the Allianz Arena, at 8.45 pm local time (1845 GMT).
Stay with us for all the team news and build up to the biggest game in club football.
