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Arsenal required a strong performance and favorable result against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their Champions League defence into difficult waters.

Contrasting Outcomes from Last Season

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their last group stage match made up for their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and ignited their remarkable journey to the final. It represented a pivotal moment in their season, showing a mental toughness that carried them to a European triumph. Their breakdown here showed they are yet to recapture the fighting spirit that ensured success in May.

Fan Support in Munich

More than 400 Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many filing into the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were placed in a section of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, competing with the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Learning from Recent Form

Daphne van Domselaar had said her team had "given their all" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the result against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating receiving much criticism of those disappointments.

The goal, though, was to take the energy of that strong performance after halftime to Germany with them. Arsenal had started slowly against Chelsea. In Munich they executed their strategy and there was no repetition of that slow start.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They started aggressively. Beth Mead was especially lively and caused problems for the Bayern full-back Franziska Kett and the central player Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure reaped its rewards.

It was Mead's effort that ensured Arsenal took the lead in the fifth minute, the striker's effort unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to head it back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Lead

Arsenal's next score arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been dangerous and was capitalized on. Mead cut out the defender's wayward ball and passed to Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to create space from Tanikawa before lashing past Grohs.

Second Half Turnaround

The energy dropped a little in the final period. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to bring his side into the game: the former Chelsea forward Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent arrived soon after. The last of these would make Arsenal sweat first, flying away on the break and collecting from German winger before directing the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete Comeback

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the home team believing they could take something from the game. Harder delivered, clipping a looping ball in from the penalty box to level. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted everything, and shortly after they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the near post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a poor finish that let down Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a big job ahead.