At last. After nine years, six semi-finals, two finals - both with penalties - and £1billion worth of blood, sweat and tears, Roman Abramovich's dream is finally a reality.

Not in the style he envisioned, of course, when his love affair with football and the Champions League first began with Manchester United v Real Madrid all those years ago.

But, as they say, be careful what you wish for, you may get it.

And while Chelsea owner Abramovich did not get 'Barcelona in blue shirts' - that obsession still continues - he has finally got his hands on the biggest prize in club football.

That they triumphed in the manner in which his club were so cruelly denied four years ago was the most fitting ending of all to the most unbelievable of campaigns.

Even when Didier Drogba stepped up to take the final penalty after another extraordinary game of football against Bayern Munich, Abramovich must have feared it was too good to be true, as it proved against Manchester United in Moscow.

But, unlike John Terry, Drogba did not err in what - amazingly - could be his last appearance in a Chelsea shirt.

Even more amazing is the fact caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo could be out of a job tomorrow, despite having masterminded the greatest moment in the club's 107-year history.

Surely the Italian deserves at least a chance to make the changes Abramovich thinks are necessary, and surely Drogba - also the hero in normal time - is worthy of the two-year contract he has been demanding.

Di Matteo had made some big calls in his whirlwind 11 weeks in charge but, perhaps fittingly, he saved his biggest for the biggest game of all.

Making Ryan Bertrand the first player to make his Champions League debut in the final itself seemed destined to be either one of the most inspired or foolish selection decisions of modern times.

It appeared to be the former as Bayern dominated, seemingly destined to win the competition on their own ground.

Any attempt to disguise the fact the final was not being played on neutral territory for the first time in Champions League history was made a mockery of everywhere you turned in Munich.

Red was the colour, football was the obsession in a city contemplating nothing else but Bayern joining the elite of clubs to have won the European Cup five times.

Munich can surely not have been as abuzz since the 2006 World Cup, with only one topic of conversation on the agenda.

"Football's coming home!" the bombastic Allianz Arena announcer proclaimed without a hint of irony, before Bayern legend Paul Breitner carried the Champions League trophy onto the field.

But the icing on the cake was the huge banner unfurled which read 'Our city, our stadium, our cup' alongside a picture of the European Cup trophy itself.

All that must have made Chelsea feel even more like unwelcome guests at a party every bit as riotous as Oktoberfest.

"Bring it on," Frank Lampard boldly declared last night, but Chelsea's hosts did indeed bring it as both sides adopted their respective roles as if the game had been scripted.

It was not quite Barcelona all over again but it was pretty close as Bayern swarmed and Chelsea sat, trying, but largely failing to counter-attack.

Inevitably, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Mario Gomez were at the heart of every Bayern attack but each of them had clearly taken tips from the Barca school of finishing.

Gomez was the main culprit, with Ribery also wasteful, while at least Robben forced Petr Cech into turning the ball against the angle of post and bar.

But with the likes of David Luiz and Jose Bosingwa making the kind of errors to make Di Matteo tear out any hair he had left, it was only a matter of time before Bayern had the ball in the net.

Fortunately for Chelsea, when they did, Ribery was offside.

That they did not do so again until late in the 90 minutes was thanks in large part to another heroic display from Ashley Cole.

Even he could not prevent Bayern putting one hand on the cup, Thomas Muller making Cech look a little foolish with a downward header that somehow went in off the crossbar.

If that was meant to be it, nobody told Drogba, who simply refused to let what could be his final Chelsea appearance end in defeat.

True, he gave away the needless extra-time penalty that brought a superb save from Cech as Robben was foiled.

But while Cech played his part in the shootout, it was - inevitably - Drogba who won the day.