London, England – Arjen Robben chose the perfect time to score his first goal in a Champions League final.
The Dutchman struck in the 89th minute at Wembley on Saturday to guide Bayern Munich to a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund, leading the club to its fifth European title.
Bayern grabbed the lead in the first all-German Champions League final as Mario Mandzukic opened the scoring in the 60th minute, but Ilkay Gundogan equalized from the penalty spot eight minutes later.
The two sides remained level until the closing stages of the match when Robben, who had been denied time and again by Roman Weidenfeller on the night, finally broke free and fired Bayern ahead with only stoppage time left to play.
The victory sees Bayern give manager Jupp Heynckes his second major trophy in his final season at the helm of the Munich club. Heynckes will retire after Bayern's Pokal Cup final against Stuttgart on June 1 as he gets set to hand the reins over to Pep Guardiola for next season.
Bayern had made an appearance in three of the last four Champions League finals, but Saturday's triumph at Wembley was the club's first trophy in the competition since 2001.
While Robben stole the headlines with his title-clinching goal in the dying minutes, the first 60 minutes of the contest belonged to both goalkeepers.
The best chance of the opening 15 minutes fell to Dortmund when Marco Reus squared a pass for Jakub Blaszczykowski to hammer a one-time shot on goal from close range, but Manuel Neuer was equal to the task as the Bayern goalkeeper deflected the attempt out of play with his outstretched leg.
Reus exploited some space in behind Philipp Lahm and powered a left-footed shot on goal from the corner of the penalty area, but Neuer parried the effort away with his fists.
Bayern came within inches of breaking the deadlock in the 26th minute when Mandzukic nodded a cross on goal from inside the six-yard box, but Weidenfeller pushed the header onto the crossbar and out of play by the skin of his fingertips.
Weidenfeller came up big again four minutes later when he found himself in a one-on-one situation with Robben. The Dutchman broke free on goal but was unable to beat the Dortmund 'keeper, who produced a fine save as he rushed off of his line.
The fine goalkeeping display continued when Neuer denied Robert Lewandowski on a breakaway in the 35th minute, while Weidenfeller stoned Robben once more in the 43rd minute after the Bayern winger got through on goal by way of a fortuitous bounce.
The opening goal finally came in the 60th minute following some fine build-up play around the box. Franck Ribery threaded a brilliant pass into the path of Robben, who drew Weidenfeller off his line before centering the ball for Mandzukic to turn it into the empty net.
Bayern's lead last just seven minutes as Dante barreled into Reus in the box to see Dortmund earn a penalty kick. Gundogan stepped up and cooly converted the ensuing attempt, sending Neuer the wrong way.
The Bavarians continued to apply pressure to Dortmund's goal as Robben had a sitter turned away off the line by Neven Subotic's sliding tackle shortly after the equalizer.
Weidenfeller produced a few more key saves to keep Bayern at bay, but Robben ultimately had the last laugh as he stole the victory with a late winner.
The Dutchman made a darting run into the penalty area to latch on to Ribery's flick. Robben set himself up for Weidenfeller's encroachment before slipping a shot that trickled past the Dortmund 'keeper and into the back of the net.
Robben has recorded 25 shots on target in Champions League finals with only one goal to show for his efforts, but the lone tally proved pivotal as it helped Bayern keep its hopes of a historic treble alive.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.