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Ivanovic - Agonising to watch

Image: Branislav Ivanovic: Found it tough to sit and watch Chelsea's famous victory

Branislav Ivanovic has described the emotional journey he went through on Saturday night as he watched Chelsea claim Champions League glory.

Chelsea defender proud of spirit shown by team-mates

Branislav Ivanovic has described the emotional journey he went through on Saturday night as he watched Chelsea claim UEFA Champions League glory. Ivanovic was suspended for the European showpiece at the Allianz Arena after picking up a yellow card in the semi-final victory over Barcelona and he admits it was tougher being a spectator than a player. He found it difficult to have no control over proceedings on the pitch and it looked like the Blues would miss out on the coveted trophy once again when Thomas Muller headed Bayern Munich in front with just seven minutes remaining. However, Didier Drogba's equaliser sent the final into extra time and Chelsea came out on top after a dramatic penalty shoot-out. "Many times it is said that some matches are harder to watch than play, and I would say that the Champions League final is at the top of the list," the Serbian defender told Sportski zurnal. "I was so nervous that it was hard to watch. The hardest was in extra time and at penalties. "If you play, you do your job. If you sit in the stadium, you are powerless. You can just watch what is going on, you can't help your team. "But in the end everything was superb so I was as happy as a child."

Biggest win

While he did not take part on the night, Ivanovic was proud of the fighting spirit shown by his team-mates and insists it was the most special moment of his career. He added: "Once again we saw that in football you have to play until the end, until the very last minute. You can't yield for even a second. "We won, because we believed in ourselves. Even when Bayern scored, we were sure that we could do it. "This victory is the biggest one in my life. As a footballer you live for something like that. "We completely deserved it and I will remember these pictures for my whole life."

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