Chelsea skipper John Terry was grateful to be able to lift the Champions League trophy.
Terry's ban did not prevent him - and Chelsea's other three suspended stars - taking a full part in Saturday night's on-field celebrations.
"That's something that will live with me forever, and if that would've been taken away, that would've been really hard to take," the 31-year-old said.
"So, credit to UEFA for making that right decision, because I've sat there and seen other players miss out on the opportunity to go and do what I've done."
Terry and the other squad members not involved even gambled on donning their strips before the shootout was over.
"We stuck our kit on and hoped for the best and, thankfully, we went on to do it," Terry said.
"But lads were quickly trying to get the jumpers and tracksuit bottoms off, weren't they?"