(London, GBR) - AFP IS CLOSING THIS LIVE REPORT AFTER Arjen Robben scored a dramatic 89th-minute winner for Bayern Munich as they beat Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at Wembley Stadium in London.
After a game that remained goalless at the break after a series of outstanding saves from Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and counterpart Roman Weidenfeller, Bayern took the lead when Croatian striker Matrio Mandzukic sidefooted home Robben's deflected cross on the hour-mark.
Dortmund drew level through a coolly struck penalty from German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan after Dante's clumsy challenge on Marco Reus but it was Robben who had the final say, latching onto Franck Ribery's cute back-heel before hurdling two challenges and calmly wrong-footing Weidenfeller.
In the past four years, the Dutch winger had played in two Champions League finals and one World Cup final for the Netherlands, only to finish on the losing side on all three occasions, but he was Bayern's hero at Wembley.
He started for Bayern in both the 2010 and last year's Champions League finals, when his extra-time penalty against Chelsea in Munich was infamously saved as the trophy went to Stamford Bridge.
Having already wrapped up the Bundesliga title by a handsome margin, Bayern now have the chance to complete a historic treble - a feat the club has never before achieved - when they play Stuttgart in the German Cup final, or DFB-Pokal, in Berlin on Saturday.
Read on to find out how all the action unfolded on a pulsating night in north-west London:
2125 GMT: A downcast Dortmund defender Mats Hummels tells Sky Sports: "We were getting a little bit tired in the last few minutes as it was a hard, intense game. That's when Bayern scored.
"I love these games with two clubs having 35,000 fans in the stadium. I enjoyed the game apart from the end."
2110 GMT: Sky Sports television showing replays of Dante's foul on Marco Reus to concede the penalty on 68 minutes - and the consensus among pundits in the studio Jamie Redknapp, Graeme Souness and Michael Ballack is that it certainly merited a yellow card, which would have been his second and led to his dismissal.
Souness is also convinced that Franck Ribery could have been sent off in the first half too for swinging an arm at Robert Lewandowski.
Two strokes of luck for Bayern it seems.
2055 GMT: The Bayern players lift the trophy one by one as the rousing tones of the Champions League anthem echo around Wembley.
Thomas Mueller is hogging it - but their is real joy on all the players faces.
Jupp Heynckes, their 68-year-old coach, is eventually given his chance to soak up his moment of glory, lifting the trophy to the heavens..
2050 GMT: Dortmund's crestfallen players are filing up the steps to collect their runners-up medals. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has words of consolation for the devastated Roman Weidenfeller. Merkel also has words of sympathy for the Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp.
2042 GMT: The Bayern players are jubilant, dancing with the Bayern fans and embracing each other as the huge weight of expectation is lifted from them after losing two finals in the last three years.
In contrast, Dortmund's players look utterly devastated, with Roman Weidenfeller and Jakub Blaszczykowski in tears as they applaud the crowd.
90+3 mins: FULL-TIME - Borussia Dortmund 1 Bayern Munich 2
BAYERN MUNICH WIN THE 2012-2013 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
90+1 mins: Bayern's Mario Gomez replaces Mario Mandzukic
90 mins: SUBSTITUTIONS: Ribery replaced by Luiz Gustavo
Dortmund makes changes too: Schieber on for Blaszczykowski and Sahin on for Bender.
89 mins: GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 1 Bayern Munich 2
BAYERN RETAKE THE LEAD!
Arjen Robben latches onto a Ribery back-heel in the box, dances past two tackles and rolls the ball past the onrushiing Weidenfeller six yard out.
Could that be redemption for Robben after his penalty miss in the final last year?
87 mins: CHANCE! Great chance for Bayern talisman Bastian Schweinsteiger to steal it for the Bundesliga champions - Thomas Mueller steps over a low cross from the right and it falls to Schweinsteiger who rifles in a left-footed effort but Weidenfeller parries.
84 mins: Surprisingly considering Dortmund's dominant start to the game, Bayern have had 58 percent of possession so far, and have had 12 efforts on goal to Dortmund's 11.
79 mins: Nasty from Dortmund's Lewandowski - the Pole tangled with Jerome Boateng before leaving a sneaky boot in on the prone defender's ankle. The referee clearly missed it though as he's not booked.
75 mins: CHANCE! Bayern's David Alaba fires in a peach of a left-footed strike from the edge of the area but Weidenfeller pulls off a smart save.
74 mins: YELLOW CARD! Kevin Grosskreutz and Ribery in the book after Ribery claimed he was pulled back in the area. Grosskreutz claimed Ribery was trying to con the referee and the two squared up.
72 mins: CHANCE! Astonishing clearance off the Dortmund line by Neven Subotic! Thomas Mueller streaked clear into the area and past Weidenfeller before rolling the ball goalwards from a tight angle but Subotic just beat the onrushing Robben too it.
Brilliant.
68 mins: GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 1 Bayern Munich 1
PENALTY SCORED - DORTMUND DRAW LEVEL! Ilkay Gundogan steps up to take the spot-kick and calmly strokes the ball home, sending Neuer the wrong way.
67 mins: PENALTY to Dortmund! Marco Reus clumsily kicked in the midfriff by Dante and the referee points to the spot! Clear penalty but somehow Dante dodges a second yellow card - he's very fortunate.
60 mins: GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 0 Bayern Munich 1
BAYERN TAKE THE LEAD!
Ribery does well to slip the ball to Robben in the area who break to the byline and whips a low ball which deflects off the onrushing Weidenfeller and finds Mandzukic in the centre who sidefoots into an empty net.
Incisive move but Neven Subotic will be disappointed that he let Ribery cut inside.
55 mins: Bayern threaten through Robben by Mats Hummels does well to steal the ball off him in the area before the ball out as Mandzukic is down holding his head. But he's up soon and ok to carry on - mysterious.
52 mins: AFP's Ryland James in touch again from Wembley - and it seems the Bayern fans are determined to create a carnival atmosphere: "A group of Bayern fans, high up on the third tier behind the Munich goal, lit around 10 flares at the start of the second half, which probably broke several health and safety laws.
"Flares, or 'bengalos' as they are known in German, are a big problem at Bundesliga games. Fans smuggle them into games, proving to be a headache for the authorities and controversial new security measures have been threatened including full-body searches at matches."
48 mins: Dortmund's Marco Reus is fouled by Arjen Robben around 40 yards out - the blonde-haired frontman gets up to take the resulting free-kick which he fires towards goal but Bayern clear.
1946 GMT: SECOND-HALF - Dortmund get the second half under way in north-west London - which of these Bundesliga giants can get their noses in front?
1944 GMT: A pulsating first half has ended goalless, and that's largely down to some expert goalkeeping at both ends. Dortmund dominated the early stages but a series of saves by Manuel Neuer from Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Blaszczykowski kept Bayern on level terms.
Jupp Heynckes' side then grew in influence and Roman Weidenfeller's saves from Arjen Robben and Mario Mandzukic kept the scores level.
1937 GMT: "Borussia coach Jurgen Klopp has been living every kick on the sidelines, punching the air, grimacing and urging his players on. He finally went into the stands when it all got too much," writes AFP's Ryland James from Wembley.
45 mins: HALF-TIME - Borussia Dortmund 0 Bayern Munich 0
42 mins: CHANCE! Arjen Robben has another glorious chance as a long ball falls to his feet off a Dortmund defender but Roman Weidenfeller saves his side again, rushing off his line to take the shot straight in the face.
37 mins: CHANCE! Straight away Bayern break down to the other end where Robben finds space on the right of the area again. He closes in on goal but then cuts back as the defender comes across and his effort is blocked behind.
The chances are coming thick and fast at both ends.
35 mins: CHANCE! Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski wriggles clear in the area and fires in a low shot but Neuer is off his line quickly and blocks the shot.
Both goalkeepers are on superb form.
30 mins: CHANCE! Bayern's Arjen Robben is found in acres of space on the right and the Dutchman bears down on the Dortmund goal - but Roman Weidenfeller is off his line in a flash to block the winger's shot on the edge of the box.
Captain leading by example there with a crucial intervention.
27 mins: YELLOW CARD - Bayern defender Dante in the book for clipping the onrushing Reus near the halfway line.
26 mins: CHANCE! Great play by Franck Ribery on the left who whips a ball in to Mario Mandzukic who powers in a header that Roman Weidenfeller does brilliantly to tip onto the crossbar and over.
First good chance of the game for Bayern there and Mandzukic's aerial threat is obvious.
Ribery swung an arm and caught Lewandowski in the face in the run-up to that move - more of a straight arm whack but he's lucky to get away without a caution
22 mins: Kevin Grosskreutz picks out Sven Bender in the box with a pinpoint pass. The frontman takes a touch and curls in a a suitably bending shot but Neuer gets down well to save again.
19 mins: CHANCE! It's all Dortmund here - but they can't quite capitalise. The livewire Reus breaks clear from the half-way line and closes on Neuer's goal. He unleshes a powerful early left-footed shot which Neuer is forced to punch clear.
14 mins: CHANCE! Robert Lewandowski uses Dante as a guide and curls in a powerful shot which Manuel Neuer has to tip over
From the resulting corner, the ball is cleared before being played out to Reus on the right who pulls it back for Blaszczykowski just outside the six-yard box - the Pole fires in a first-time shot low and hard but Neuer sticks out a leg to pull off a fine save.
10 mins: CHANCE! Jakub Blaszczykowski runs at the back-pedalling Bayern back line before trying to slip the ball inside to Marco Reus. It rebounds off a Bayern defender to Blaszczykowski but the Pole shoots wide.
6 mins: Ball to the back post skims off Jerome Boateng's head and goes behind for another corner to Dortmund who seemed to have settled into the stride the better of the two teams so far.
Marcel Schmelzer swings it in from the right but a commanding Manuel Neuer plucks it out of the air.
3 mins: First corner of the game is won by Dortmund - Marco Reus swings it in from the right but a Bayern defender heads it well clear with little fuss.
AFP's Ryland James says his favourite comment of the day so far has come from a Bayern fan: "We have been in every bar in London trying to find Pippa (Middleton) - she didn't show up!"
A heartbreaking tale.
1845 GMT: KICK-OFF - Bayern get the game under way at Wembley - the stage is set for a feast of football.
1840 GMT: The opening ceremony is under way - it appears to involve two medieval knights have a sword-fight in the centre circle surrounded by a ring of fellow chain-mail clad warriors. Astonishing scenes.
1837 GMT: "Full stadium, boisterous fans, lovely weather, pristine pitch, two magnificent teams. Only real regret tonight is absence of Mario Gotze," Tom Williams adds from Wembley.
1834 GMT: "Am told Robert Lewandowski's advisers have already been invited to Bayern's post-final party. Nothing like planning ahead..." writes AFP's Tom Williams of the Dortmund striker, who has refused to sign an extension to a contract that is due to expire in June 2014 and is reportedly coveted by Bayern.
1830 GMT: AFP's Ryland James writes that Schweinsteiger is now "walking around gingerly and taking a few shots at goal" so hopefully the midfielder will manage to shake off that knock.
1824 GMT: TV pictures showing Bayern's Bastian Schweinsteiger receiving treatment to his ankle after pulling out in obvious pain by what seemed like an innocuous challenge during the warm-up.
Will keep an eye on that but hopefully not too serious.
1820 GMT: "Bayern the first team out to warm up, with Dortmund following five minutes later. Great noise from both ends," writes AFP sports correspondent Tom Williams from Wembley.
1815 GMT: After winning the Bundesliga at a canter, Bayern are hoping to seal the second part of a historic treble by winning the Champions League tonight as they face Stuttgart in the domestic DFB-Pokal Cup next Saturday.
Bayern did win a treble of sorts in 2001 under Ottmar Hitzfeld, but while the Bundesliga and Champions League were won that year the third trophy was the less prestigious DFB-Ligapokal, a pre-season competition between the previous season's top five teams along with the DFB-Pokal Cup winners. It was scrapped in 2007.
1809 GMT: Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp is expected to deploy a 4-3-3 formation, with Kevin Grosskreutz moving infield from the left flank to stiffen the midfield.
Bayern made just one change from the team that completed their remarkable 7-0 aggregate win over Barcelona in the semi-finals, with Brazilian central defender Dante replacing Daniel Van Buyten.
In the absence of injured attacking midfielder Toni Kroos, lone striker Mario Mandzukic is supported by Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller.
Bayern are bidding to win their fifth European Cup, following defeats in the final in 2010 and 2012, while Dortmund are appearing in their first final since winning the trophy for the only time in 1997.
1800 GMT: So Dortmund and Bayern have both named their expected line-ups for the first ever all-German Champions League final.
Dortmund already knew they were going to be without their talismanic playmaker Mario Gotze, who is scheduled to join Bayern at the end of the season, due to a hamstring injury.
However, former Bayern player Mats Hummels overcame an ankle injury sustained in last weekend's 2-1 defeat by Hoffenheim to start alongside Neven Subotic at centre-back.
1754 GMT: "Both teams have arrived, filed off their respective buses and taken to the dressing rooms," writes AFP's Ryland James from Wembley.
"Not many smiling faces, most have the headphones on, fully focused on the battles ahead. Blus skies over Wembley and the Dortmund end is bathed in sunshine, while Bayern fans are in shadow. Could it be a sign?"
1752 GMT: Starting line-ups for the final just in:
Bayern Munich (4-2-3-1)
Manuel Neuer; Philipp Lahm (capt), Jerome Boateng, Dante, David Alaba; Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez; Arjen Robben, Thomas Mueller, Franck Ribery; Mario Mandzukic
Coach: Jupp Heynckes
Borussia Dortmund (4-3-3)
Roman Weidenfeller (capt); Lukasz Piszczek, Neven Subotic, Mats Hummels, Marcel Schmelzer; Sven Bender, Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin Grosskreutz; Jakub Blaszczykowski, Marco Reus, Robert Lewandowski
Coach: Jurgen Klopp
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (ITA)
1750 GMT: AFP sports correspondent Ryland James, who is at Wembley to cover this evening's final, says the stadium is starting to fill: "Wembley already filling up nicely and the hardcore fans from both teams have already been bellowing songs at each other from opposite sides of the stadiums, plenty of Bavarian lads in lederhosen to our right and it's all black and yellow on our left."
WELCOME TO AFP'S LIVE REPORT on the Champions League final which sees Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich come face to face at London's Wembley Stadium for a tilt at European football's most prestigious prize.
An estimated 180,000 German football fans have descended on the British capital today as anticipation grows ahead of the first ever European Cup final to be contested by two German teams.
Bayern walked away with this season's Bundesliga title by a startling 25-point margin and are clear odds-on favourites with all of Britain's main high street bookmakers to lift the trophy.
Supporters decked in Dortmund's distinctive yellow and black strip cavorted in Trafalgar Square this afternoon, while Bayern fans, many wearing traditional Bavarian lederhosen, packed into trains heading for the city centre.
Bayern are in their third Champions League final in four years and after the heartbreak of losing last season's finale on penalties to Chelsea on home turf in Munich, many of their fans feel now is their time.
Stay with us for all the build up before kick off at 1845 GMT (1945 BST).
