Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea Highlights: Recapping Best Moments from Epic Final
Chelsea ended years of heartbreak on Saturday evening when they defeated Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final to become the first London club to win the European title.
The Blues won the title after an exciting penalty shootout decided a very even match. Give Chelsea tremendous credit, they never gave up and took on every challenge that faced them, regardless of the difficulty.
They are worthy champions, and their triumph in Munich will be remembered forever as one of the great feats of European club football.
Let's recap the most exciting moments of this thrilling Champions League final.
Penalty Shootout
The two halves of extra time were very eventful, but after 30 minutes, no one scored. The match was to be decided on penalty kicks, which is how Chelsea's only other Champions League final appearance ended. That match happened in 2008 in Moscow against Manchester United, where the Red Devils won.
After Juan Mata missed the first penalty attempt for Chelsea, they were perfect the rest of the way. Petr Cech saved the final two penalties he faced, setting up a chance for Didier Drogba to win it all.
Drogba found the left side of the net to win Chelsea the European crown for the first time in club history.
Here is the recap of the penalty shootout. Manuel Neuer (Munich) and Petr Cech (Chelsea) were the goalkeepers.
| Order (Munich shot first) | Chelsea | Result | Bayern Munich | Result |
| 1st | Juan Mata | SAVE | Phillip Lahm | GOAL |
| 2nd | David Luiz | GOAL | Mario Gomez | GOAL |
| 3rd | Frank Lampard | GOAL | Manuel Neuer | GOAL |
| 4th | Ashley Cole | GOAL | Ivica Olic | SAVE |
| 5th | Didier Drogba | GOAL | Bastian Schweinsteiger | SAVE |
Arjen Robben Misses Penalty in Extra Time
Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Didier Drogba nearly cost Chelsea the match in the first period of extra time by giving up a penalty after he hit the back of Munich winger Franck Ribery's cleats, which forced the Frenchman to the ground.
Arjen Robben took the penalty kick for Munich and shot it with power, on the ground, and to the right. But it was saved by Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Robben is a good penalty-kick taker, but Bastian Schweinsteiger would have been a better choice. Schweinsteiger's strike from the spot in the penalty shootout against Real Madrid in the semifinal earned Munich a spot in the final.
Didier Drogba Goal
Chelsea's Mr. Clutch scored in the 87th minute with a header off a corner kick to even the scoring at 1-1 with just a few minutes to play. Surprisingly, it was the Blues' first corner of the match.
The Ivorian was able to put just enough power on his header to get it past Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who really should have saved it.
Thomas Muller Goal
Bayern Munich got on the scoreboard first on a header from Thomas Muller. The young German forward was able to drive a cross hard into the ground with his head, making it bounce over Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech and into the net.
The goal gave Munich a 1-0 lead with seven minutes left, but they weren't able to hold onto the lead through full time.
Cech should have saved Muller's attempt on goal, but it probably wasn't how he expected Muller to try to score.
Ashley Cole Defending
Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Chelsea defender Ashley Cole proved why he's arguably the best left back in the world today with some phenomenal defending.
He made a huge block on a great scoring chance by Arjen Robben by anticipating the action and running 15 yards to get into where Chelsea center back David Luiz should have been to make the goal-saving block.
In the 78th minute, Cole's defense on Thomas Muller forced a shot by the German to sail wide.
Without Cole's brilliant play in the defensive third of the pitch, Munich would have scored three or four goals.
Mario Gomez Missed Chances
Alex Livesey/Getty Images
The big Bayern Munich striker had a great number of chances throughout the game, especially in the first half. However, he was unable to find the back of the net on any of them.
Just before halftime, Gomez was able to get around Chelsea center back Gary Cahill and had a great chance in front of goal in the penalty area, but he skied it high above the crossbar.
If Gomez had converted on just one of his many chances, Munich would have won the Champions League.
Manchester City Wins English Premier League Title
Manchester City brought home the Barclays Premier League Trophy after they were able to score a comeback victory against Queens Park Rangers with the heroic goal made by Sergio Aguero at the final minutes of added time. The team have ended the 44 years drought of the club’s Premier League championship title.
The club which was one of the highest invested club in the Premier League took the title away from rival Manchester United who were waiting the final results of the game between Manchester City and QPR after they successfully managed to score a victory over Sunderland with 1-0 score in favor of the United.
Pablo Zabaleta had put Man City on course for the title with a 39th minute-goal, but Djibril Cisse levelled for QPR. The score was added with another goal courtesy of QPR’s Jamie Mackie.
With time running out and a loss would mean their chances of the title ended in vain, Edin Dzeko sparked the recovery by heading in a corner in the second minute of stoppage time to level the score at 2-all.
The final moments of the match came late but it was the most memorable goal ever scored by Sergio Aguero when he eluded three QPR’s defenders and goes straight to the goal and the championship trophy.
Here’s the highlights video of the match between Manchester City and QPR:
M3-2Q www.fasthighlights.com by fasthighlights-2012
Rafael Nadal Defeated David Ferrer in ATP Barcelona 2012 Final Highlights
Former World number 1 Tennis player Rafael Nadal defeated David Ferrer in the Finals of the 2012 ATP Barcelona to capture the crown. His win in the All-Spanish finals earned him the first player in the Open Era to win two tournaments seven times. His historic win last Sunday in Barcelona is his 48th career wins.
The current number 2 ranked tennis player in the world won over David Ferrer with the final score at 7-6 (1), 7-5. Rafael Nadal reached the Finals by beating world number 1 Novak Djokovic emphatic win but his triumph over Ferrer gave him plenty of problems in match which lasted for 2 hours and 40 minutes.
The win maintained Nadal’s unbeaten record in Barcelona which now stretches to 34 matches. Having captured his eighth title in Monte Carlo last week.
Here’s the highlights video of the Finals between Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer:
Dwayne Wade Throwing Mike Bibby’s Shoe During Game 2 of NBA Playoffs (Video)
The Miami Heat defeated the New York Knicks during the Game 2 of their Playoff Series and took the lead at 2-0 in team standings. One of the most interesting things to note during the game was the hilarious move of Dwayne Wade towards former Heat team mate Mike Bibby when Bibby lost his shoe and picked by Wade but instead of giving it back to Bibby he threw it away towards the Heat bench.
According to some critics the situation wasn’t funny anymore as the situation gave the chance for opposing team to have an advantage with 5-4 situation but for my humble opinion, the shoe throwing incident didn’t affect the outcome of the game because Knicks was able to score from a Mike Bibby pass.
During the post-game interview Dwayne Wade clarifies the incident and he was quoted as saying that “I’d never done that before, but it was fun. I love messing with Mike, with Bibbs,” Wade stated. Both Dwayne Wade and Mike Bibby were close friends during the times when Mike Bibby was with the Miami Heat.
Meanwhile the New York Knicks promised to their fans that they will give out their best shot as the series will now move on to their home court at the Madison Square Garden.
NBA playoffs schedule
Here’s the full Schedule of the Round 1 of 2012 NBA Playoffs:
WESTERN CONFERENCE – FIRST ROUND
San Antonio vs. Utah
Game 1 – Sun. April 29, Utah at San Antonio, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2 – Wed. May 2, Utah at San Antonio, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 3 – Sat. May 5, San Antonio at Utah, 10 p.m., TNT
Game 4 – Mon. May 7, San Antonio at Utah, TBD
Game 5 * Wed. May 9, Utah at San Antonio, TBD
Game 6 * Fri. May 11, San Antonio at Utah, TBD
Game 7 * Sun. May 13, Utah at San Antonio, TBD
—
Oklahoma City vs. Dallas
Game 1 – Sat. April 28, Dallas at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 2 – Mon. April 30, Dallas at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m., TNT
Game 3 – Thu. May 3, Oklahoma City at Dallas, 9:30 p.m., TNT
Game 4 – Sat. May 5, Oklahoma City at Dallas, 7:30 p.m., TNT/R
Game 5 * Mon. May 7, Dallas at Oklahoma City, TBD
Game 6 * Thu. May 10, Oklahoma City at Dallas, TBD
Game 7 * Sat. May 12, Dallas at Oklahoma City ,TBD, TNT
—
L.A. Lakers vs. Denver
Game 1 – Sun. April 29, Denver at L.A. Lakers, 3:30 p.m., ABC/R
Game 2 – Tue. May 1, Denver at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m., TNT
Game 3 – Fri May 4, L.A. Lakers at Denver, 10:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 4 – Sun. May 6, L.A. Lakers at Denver, 9:30 p.m., TNT
Game 5 * Tue. May 8, Denver at L.A. Lakers, TBD
Game 6 * Thu. May 10, L.A. Lakers at Denver, TBD
Game 7 * Sat. May 12, Denver at L.A. Lakers, TBD, TNT
—
Memphis vs. L.A. Clippers
Game 1 – Sun. April 29, L.A. Clippers at Memphis, 9:30 p.m., TNT
Game 2 – Wed. May 2, L.A. Clippers at Memphis, 9:30 p.m., TNT
Game 3 – Sat. May 5, Memphis at L.A. Clippers, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
Game 4 – Mon. May 7, Memphis at L.A. Clippers, TBD
Game 5 * Wed. May 9, L.A. Clippers at Memphis, TBD
Game 6 * Fri. May 11, Memphis at L.A. Clippers, TBD
Game 7 * Sun. May 13, L.A. Clippers at Memphis, TBD
—
___________________________________________________
EASTERN CONFERENCE – FIRST ROUND
Chicago vs. Philadelphia
Game 1 – Sat. April 28, Philadelphia at Chicago, 1 p.m., TNT
Game 2 – Tue. May 1, Philadelphia at Chicago, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 3 – Fri. May 4, Chicago at Philadelphia, 8 p.m., ESPN
Game 4 – Sun. May 6, Chicago at Philadelphia, 1 p.m., ABC
Game 5 * Tue. May 8, Philadelphia at Chicago, TBD
Game 6 * Thu. May 10, Chicago at Philadelphia, TBD
Game 7 * Sat. May 12, Philadelphia at Chicago, TBD, TNT
—
Miami vs. New York
Game 1 – Sat. April 28, New York at Miami, 3:30 p.m., ABC/R
Game 2 – Mon. April 30, New York at Miami, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 3 – Thu. May 3, Miami at New York, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 4 – Sun. May 6, Miami at New York, 3:30 p.m., ABC/R
Game 5 * Wed. May 9, New York at Miami, TBD
Game 6 * Fri. May 11, Miami at New York, TBD
Game 7 * Sun. May 13, New York at Miami, TBD
—
Indiana vs. Orlando
Game 1 – Sat. April 28, Orlando at Indiana, 7 p.m., ESPN
Game 2 – Mon. April 30, Orlando at Indiana, 7:30 p.m., NBA TV
Game 3 – Wed. May 2, Indiana at Orlando, 7:30 p.m., NBA TV
Game 4 – Sat. May 5, Indiana at Orlando, 2 p.m., ESPN
Game 5 * Tue. May 8, Orlando at Indiana, TBD
Game 6 * Fri. May 11, Indiana at Orlando, TBD
Game 7 * Sun. May 13, Orlando at Indiana, TBD
—
Boston vs. Atlanta
Game 1 – Sun. April 29, Boston at Atlanta, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 2 – Tue. May 1, Boston at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m., NBA TV
Game 3 – Fri. May 4, Atlanta at Boston, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
Game 4 – Sun May 6, Atlanta at Boston, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 5 * Tue. May 8, Boston at Atlanta, TBD
Game 6 * Thu. May 10, Atlanta at Boston, TBD
Game 7 * Sat. May 12, Boston at Atlanta, TBD, TNT
Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson Official Weight
Bernard Hopkins, one of the most popular boxing icon will be fighting against Chad Dawson for the world title fight and a rematch in one of the most exciting boxing event this Saturday at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J for the Light Heavyweight World Title.
During the weigh-in WBC and Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Champion Bernard Hopkins weighs in at 173.5 lbs and former Light Heavyweight World Champion Chad Dawsoncame in at 174.5 lbs as they pose on April 27, 2012 in Atlantic City, New Jersey at the weigh-in for their April 28, 2012 world title fight.
The world title fight rematch will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing. During their first match for the WBC Light Heavyweight World Title fight, the referee decided a TKO against Hopkins but the decisions was reversed by the California Boxing Commission after Hopkins and Golden Boy Promotions appealed, the verdict the fight was ruled a “no decision,” thereby Hopkins retained the title.






