Munich lay down a marker

Bayern Munich 2 Borussia Dortmund 1

During that spell of 36 years there have been 11 teams from England who have lifted the famous big-eared trophy, eight from Italy and seven from Spain; but if there was any doubt that German football is now leading the way after years of being European bridesmaids than it has certainly been wiped away by Bayern’s remarkable season and by a wonderful Champions League final that was a joy to watch from start to finish.

Dortmund, a hard-working team built on a shoestring in Premier League terms, were as vibrant as their noisy fans for the first 45 minutes and would have been ahead had it not been for goalkeeper Manuel Neuer’s stunning saves from the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Jakob Blaszczykowski.