Chelsea Beat Bayern Munich (1-1) Penalty Shootout, (4-3) All Goals

The charismatic striker was at the heart of Chelsea's unlikely comeback victory in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich on Saturday night, scoring the tying goal in the 88th minute and the winner on the final penalty kick of the 4-3 shootout.

With two minutes to go and Chelsea down 1-0 to the German team in its home stadium, Drogba soared high from a corner to head home the equalizer and force 30 minutes of extra time, which ended 1-1.

When it was still level after four penalty kicks each, the 34-year-old from Ivory Coast who makes a habit of scoring crucial goals did so again, sliding home the winner and giving Chelsea its first Champions League title.

Chelsea's remarkable Champions League season has played out with the intensity of an opera since losing 3-1 to Napoli in a last 16, first-leg match in February.

The club's Russian owner Roman Abramovich – whose craving for a Champions League title since 2003 is routinely described as a holy grail – soon responded by firing coach Andre Villas-Boas and promoting assistant Roberto di Matteo, albeit with just an interim tag.

Di Matteo responded by masterminding a stirring comeback against Napoli, defeat of Benfica and the epic rearguard action to eliminate Barcelona in the semifinals.

"The way we turned things around against Napoli, Barcelona, I think we deserve this trophy," Drogba said. "The last kick of the season and what a way to do it now."

Abramovich now has the fascinating decision of whether to reward Di Matteo by entrusting his billion-dollar investment to the 41-year-old Italian on a permanent basis.