🔗 Share this article

The London side needed a strong display and favorable outcome against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich with little resistance, plunging their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Different Fortunes from Last Season

Last season, a inspiring fightback from a goal behind to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their final group game avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and ignited their remarkable journey to the final. It represented a turning point in their season, demonstrating a resilience that propelled them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here demonstrated they are still searching for the spirit that led to victory in May.

Fan Support in Munich

Over four hundred Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many filing into the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were shoved into a section of the middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, battling against the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Building on Previous Performance

Daphne van Domselaar had said her team had "showed everything we had" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the outcome against the league leaders, with controversial officiating bearing the brunt of those frustrations.

The goal, though, was to take the energy of that impressive second-half display to Germany with them. Arsenal had started slowly against Chelsea. In Munich they stuck to the plan and there was no repetition of that slow start.

Fast Beginning for Visitors

They opened on the front foot. The England forward was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the central player Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing reaped its rewards.

It was Mead's effort that gave Arsenal the advantage in the fifth minute, the striker's effort strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the keeper and in.

Doubling the Lead

Arsenal's second goal arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been risky and was capitalized on. Mead intercepted the defender's wayward ball and laid off to Stina Blackstenius, who directed it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The talented playmaker took a control to create space from the defender before lashing past Grohs.

After Break Turnaround

The energy lessened a little in the final period. José Barcala made substitutions to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent arrived soon after. The last of these would make Arsenal sweat first, sprinting forward and receiving from German winger before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Complete Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the deficit was reduced, the hosts sensing they could get a result from the game. Harder delivered, floating a cross in from the penalty box to equalize. 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 the winger's delivery. This time it was a sluggish end that let down Arsenal and, with one win from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.