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Arsenal needed a impressive performance and favorable outcome against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich with little resistance, casting their European campaign into difficult waters.

Different Fortunes from Last Season

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match made up for their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the final. It marked a turning point in their season, showing a mental toughness that propelled them to a European triumph. Their breakdown here showed they are yet to recapture the spirit that ensured success in May.

Fan Support in Munich

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 made their voices heard, competing with the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Learning from Recent Form

Daphne van Domselaar had said her team had "showed everything we had" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the result against the league leaders, with questionable refereeing decisions receiving much criticism of those disappointments.

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

Fast Beginning for Visitors

They opened on the front foot. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and caused problems for the Bayern full-back their left-back and the central player Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing reaped its rewards.

It was the forward's attempt that gave Arsenal the advantage in the early stages, the striker's effort unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's second goal arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been risky and was exploited. The winger intercepted Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The talented playmaker took a touch to create space from the defender before driving past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Collapse

The energy dropped a little in the final period. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to get his team back into the game: the ex-London striker Pernille Harder, whose three goals in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent followed shortly. The final substitute would make Arsenal sweat first, flying away on the break and receiving from German winger before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Total Turnaround

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the deficit was reduced, the hosts sensing they could get a result from the game. Harder produced, clipping a looping ball in from the penalty box to equalize. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a poor finish that let down Arsenal and, with a single victory from three Champions League games, they have a big job ahead.