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Bayern secures its holy grail
By Patrick Snell, CNNSI.com MILAN -- As someone who witnessed at first-hand Bayern Munich's shattering defeat to Manchester United two years ago in Barcelona, it's not hard to comprehend the elation of their players in the San Siro on Wednesday. Now their holy grail has finally been secured. The scenes of unbridled joy at the conclusion of the penalty shootout among fans, players and coaches alike were a more-than-deserved reward for a club that seldom does anything easily. Having won their 17th German title with a goal late in stoppage time last weekend, Bayern once again proved that by digging deep and using their formidable team spirit, virtually anything can be achieved. The day before the final, Bayern captain Stefan Effenberg summed up the team's mentality with three simple words. Rarely for him, he chose to deliver them in English: "Never give up." Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, a former math teacher who now becomes only the second coach to win European Cups with two different clubs, has said Manchester United's inner strength is down to their team bonding and unique spirit. If United has the blueprint, the Bavarians now have their own copy. Bixente Lizarazu had predicted since the quarterfinals that this would be Bayern's year. While acknowledging with typical good grace the role played by Valencia, the Basque defender added that no side would be able to overpower his own, such was their determination. Four times, home and away, Bayern beat Manchester United and Real Madrid, the two best attacking sides in the competition. Dull, negative and lucky were the charges leveled at them by some of their vanquished opponents. I dispute this entirely. And there was certainly never a dull moment watching Bayern. They defended superbly and counterattacked with precision and speed, often with a deadly punch. The Munich players and their fans celebrated long into the early hours here after winning the club's fourth European Cup. Having lost the 1999 final and gone out last season in the semis, the German champions simply had to win this game. Seven of the first team squad are over 30, and failure in this ninth Champions League final may well have led to its dismantling. Over the next year or so, that will inevitably happen, but at least this generation can point to delivering Munich's first European Cup in a quarter of a century. Patrick Snell is a London-based correspondent for World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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