#3 The pass – Juan Mata to Didier Drogba
The game – 2012, Chelsea vs Bayern Munich
Trending
The story – Chelsea were in the Champions League final against a lethal unit in Bayern Munich at the Allianz Area. Having suffered heartbreak in Moscow, i.e. losing to Manchester United on penalties in their last Champions League final, Chelsea’s golden generation had come full circle.
In what was a nervy night in Munich, the Premier League club found themselves under siege throughout the game. As the game went on, Thomas Muller scored with a headed effort into the ground that found its way in off the crossbar into the roof of the net, leaving Cech bemused.
With time running out, Chelsea needed something from somewhere. After mounting up some pressure, Juan Mata took an in-swinging corner which Didier Drogba met ferociously. The ball thudded into the Bayern Munich goal, with Neuer unable to save and Chelsea drew level. 1-1. Extra time led to no goals but Chelsea would go on to win the Champions League on penalties, which remains the club’s greatest ever achievement.
Juan Mata was the architect of that goal and although Drogba grabbed all the headlines for the equaliser and the final winning penalty but Mata’s assist changed the face of that match.
