Pause, rewind, play: When Chelsea won their first Champions League title in 2012, against all odds

For Chelsea, the all-conquering English football force in the noughties backed by the riches of Roman Abramovich, the Champions League title was the one that always got away.

The Blues were a penalty kick away in Moscow in 2008 when club captain John Terry slipped at the most crucial moment to send his penalty wide and Manchester United triumphed in sudden death.

A year later, they were minutes away from eliminating Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in the semi-finals when Andres Iniesta struck to break Chelsea hearts. The defeat was made bitter by a series of penalty decisions that had gone against Londoners much to the frustrations of an animated Didier Drogba, who couldn’t keep his grace at the full-time whistle.

From 2004’s last-four loss at the hands of AS Monaco, to twin defeats in the semi-finals to Liverpool, Chelsea’s European exits were painful. Ghost goals and whatnot, the Blues found new ways to evade the European champions tag.

By 2012, the chance for Chelsea’s greatest-ever team – assembled by Jose Mourinho and further improved by Avram Grant, Guud Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti – the Champions League title appeared to have gone.

Their spine comprising Petr Cech, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba were past their thirties. It was evident from the way the Blues navigated the group stages under manager Andre Villas Boas, who for large parts of those six games didn’t find Chelsea’s senior pros too valuable.

But he restored his faith in them as the Blues beat Valencia 3-0 in a must-win game to progress to the knockout stages. A resurgent Napoli side with one of the finest young players in Europe were waiting. Their exuberance proved too much for the Blues in a 3-1 first-leg defeat in the Round of 16 as another Champions League heartache loomed large for Chelsea.

Before the second leg, Chelsea sacked Villas Boas and appointed his assistant and Chelsea great Roberto di Matteo as manager with an aim to revive their faltering top-four bid in the Premier League.

Di Matteo, a relative rookie whose biggest coaching experience was an unsuccessful stint at West Brom, wasn’t expected to make miracles. But Chelsea’s big stars seemed galvanised under the new boss.

Drogba, Terry and Lampard all stepped up and scored as Chelsea overturned the first-leg deficit against Napoli to reach the quarter-finals. It was a win that sparked a dull and negative dressing room atmosphere into a hopeful one. The big boys at the club set their sights on the Champions League trophy again – their holy grail.

Chelsea’s experience prevailed over a tricky Benfica side in the quarter-final but Guardiola’s Barcelona, now two-time European champions whose coming of age happened on that fateful night at Stamford Bridge in 2009, awaited in the semi-finals. Surely a task too big for the aging Blues?

Maybe not. Riding their luck which they probably earned for a dogged, disciplined display, the Blues oversaw an unlikely 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge in the first leg thanks to a Drogba goal. A repeat against the Catalans on their own patch seemed unlikely. And everything seemed to be going according to the script. Barcelona scored in the first half to cancel out Chelsea’s goal, then Terry saw red for a challenge on Alexis Sanchez before Iniesta doubled the Catalans’ lead before the break. Deja vu for Chelsea.

Down to ten men, needing two goals to qualify and with Terry sent off and Gary Cahill injured, it was mission impossible even though Chelsea only needed one goal to get back on top in the tie. Nobody could see it coming apart from Ramires, Chelsea’s Brazilian midfielder whose best trait was to run. And run he did at the heart of the Barcelona defence. Lampard, Chelsea’s stand-in captain at the time, found the space and composure to pick out the pass. There was still a lot to do for Ramires who unleashed a deft, chipped finish over Valdes to put the Blues back in the driver’s seat. It was as if Ramires, used his one single super power, one that he could only use once in his lifetime, to produce that goal.

But with ten men against a Barcelona team full of attacking talent and Lionel Messi, it was still a massive ask. The hopes almost crumbled when Drogba fouled Cesc Fabregas to concede a penalty. But Messi could only hit the bar. The stars were aligning.

Barcelona pushed and pushed almost expecting the goal to come until it became so late in the game that even a team hailed as the greatest ever club side of all time started to panic. The goal did come but at the other end. With Barcelona throwing everybody in attack, Fernando Torres – nothing more than a big-money flop at the time – raced unattended towards the Barcelona goal. He rolled back the years, rounded off Valdes and scored to send Chelsea into just their second Champions League final. They had knocked out the holders against all odds.

Surely, the biggest hurdle to their Champions League dreams was passed. Well, not quite.

Chelsea were never going to have it easy. Bayern Munich awaited in the final. And if that wasn’t tough enough, in a twist of fate, the final was going to be played at the Allianz Arena in Munich, their home ground.

The Blues had to win an away final without captain Terry, midfielder Ramires, and defender Ivanovic who were all suspended for the game. Chelsea had done well to come so far but how would they cope without so many key men. They did, just as they had done on the way to the finals.

Bayern started on the front foot, pinning Di Matteo’s men deep in their own half. There were chances for the hosts but they either spurned it or saw a desperate Chelsea body block their efforts. A 0-0 scoreline at half-time was part of the battle won for the Blues, but they had been there before and failed to win the war.

Just when it seemed that Chelsea had managed to frustrate Bayern Munich and their many fans in the stadium, Thomas Muller sneaked in at the far post to bounce a header over Cech and give the Bavarians the lead in the 83rd minute.

Surely Chelsea, who had barely threatened the Bayern goal all evening, were dead and buried.

But then Chelsea won a corner, their first of the game, in the 88th minute. Juan Mata sent in an inswinger. And there was Drogba, a man possessed with the desire to take Chelsea to European glory having been a major culprit for their defeat in Moscow four years ago. He beat Jerome Boateng to the ball and swiveled to send a powerful header goalwards. Even Manuel Neuer’s powerful hands couldn’t stop it. Chelsea were level.

“Chelsea will just not let go off the Champions League. They’ve pulled the rabbit out of the hat again,” said commentator Martin Tyler perfectly summing up the moment.

The game wasn’t won though. Only a defeat was avoided.

Drogba then went from hero to villain as he conceded a penalty just like he did at the Nou Camp. Bayern had a golden chance to take the lead, but Cech saved and Chelsea survived again.

A penalty shootout beckoned. Over the years, the tiebreaker from six yards had only brought the Blues agony and their task was going to be even harder against a German opposition playing at home. But that was their only chance.

Chelsea suffered an early blow in the shootout as Mata missed the very first spot kick while Bayern scored their first three. How many times were the Blues going to come back from the dead?

One more time and this would be decisive. Cech finally saved from Ivica Olic. Cole then brought the Blues level at 3-3.

Then it was the turn of Schweinsteiger, Bavaria’s very own son. But in front of his own people, he saw his penalty tipped onto the post by Cech. He covered his face in horror. He knew what it meant. Chelsea were on the brink, a penalty away from winning the Champions League, just like they were in Moscow four years ago. Drogba, who was supposed to take that kick in Moscow but was sent off, stepped to take what was most likely his last kick in a Blue shirt. Fate had played all its tricks, and it was time for the conclusion.

“It’s written in the stars,” said Gary Neville in commentary at the time.

And indeed it was. After a short run-up, Drogba dispatched the penalty and Chelsea had after all the heartache won the Champions League. They were European champions at last. They had found the holy grail.

Chelsea’s Champions League triumph was not a display of artistic and dominant football like some of their predecessors, but it was a victory of their sheer will. The Blues may go onto win the Champions League again, but no win will feel as sweet as 2012.

Watch Drogba and Cech recall their memories of the 2012 Champions League final through their sketches:

Watch Frank Lampard relive his 2012 Champions League memories in an interview with Sky Sports