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The London side needed a impressive display and positive outcome against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich with little resistance, casting their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Different Fortunes from Previous Campaign

Last season, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game avenged their heavy defeat to the Bavarian side and ignited their phenomenal run to the championship match. It represented a pivotal moment in their season, showing a resilience that carried them to a European triumph. Their collapse here showed they are yet to recapture the spirit that ensured success in May.

Fan Support in Germany

More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many filing into the city's famous beer hall before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were placed in a section of the middle tier 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 Previous Performance

The Arsenal goalkeeper 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 questionable refereeing decisions bearing the brunt of those disappointments.

The aim, though, was to channel the momentum of that impressive second-half display to Germany with them. Arsenal had started slowly against Chelsea. In Munich they executed their strategy and there was no repeat of that sluggish beginning.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They opened on the front foot. The England forward was especially lively and caused problems for the Bayern defender their left-back and the central player Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing reaped its rewards.

It was Mead's effort that ensured Arsenal took the lead in the early stages, the striker's effort strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the keeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's next score arrived midway through the half. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been dangerous and was exploited. Mead intercepted the defender's wayward ball and laid off to Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the box. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa before lashing past the goalkeeper.

After Break Turnaround

The energy dropped a little in the second half. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to bring his side into the game: the former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder, whose hat-trick in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent followed shortly. The final substitute would make Arsenal sweat first, sprinting forward and collecting from Klara Bühl before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Total Turnaround

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the home team sensing they could take something from the game. Harder produced, floating a looping ball in from the penalty box to level. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and shortly after they had the advantage, Glodis Viggosdottir turning in at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a poor finish that disappointed Arsenal and, with one win from their European matches, they have a big job ahead.