"Arjen Robben couldn't be any more of a one-man band if he had cymbals tied to his ankles," said the man in the next seat. He did happen to be the Guardian's Jonathan Wilson. If our resident tactical authority had been depending on Bayern to give him food for thought he would have starved.

Robben, however, did nourish hope, at least until Diego Milito recorded his second goal of the night. Still the 26-year-old Bayern player deserves to be remembered for his efforts, particularly since he has so often been treated as a creature frail of body and, the insinuations suggest, mind.

He could not have been more defiant or resourceful. There was a first-half moment, with the match goalless, when José Mourinho hugged Robben as he stepped off the pitch. The incident had charm considering how much was at stake in the Bernabéu, but perhaps there was pity as well as fondness.

Too much rested with the Holland winger. Bayern could point to the suspension of Franck Ribéry but he is far from being a constant inspiration. Louis van Gaal's team were also unlucky before the opener when the English referee Howard Webb saw nothing intentional about Maicon reaching out his arm and touching a cross in the goalmouth. It had, of course, been Robben who caused the havoc, with an inswinging delivery.

Inter had a greater number of men with the faith and technique to cause havoc. The opener was incongruous in its combination of route one interplay and delightful deftness. Júlio César kicked the ball straight down but his targets reacted as if they had been pampered with tailor-made service. Milito headed to Wesley Sneijder and took the return before chipping the ball home.

Throughout the final the sole risk to Mourinho was Robben. Late in the match the statistics showed that Bayern had enjoyed two-thirds of the possession. What did Inter care when finishing was poor and the response to Robben's service so feeble? Even the winger looked resigned to his fate as the match wore on.

Inter were painstaking rather than exuberant yet always knew they were a grade above Bayern. Mourinho rejoiced at the end and is thought likely to stay at this venue as manager of the home team. Perhaps Real Madrid might give him the means to bring Robben back to the Bernabéu and make up for his underachievement in a two-year stint.