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Arsenal needed a strong display and favorable outcome against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their European campaign into difficult waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a inspiring fightback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game made up for their heavy defeat to the German opponents and ignited their phenomenal run to the final. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, demonstrating a resilience that carried them to a European triumph. Their breakdown here showed they are yet to recapture the spirit that led to victory in May.

Fan Support in Germany

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 middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, competing with the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Building on Previous Performance

Daphne van Domselaar had said her team had "given their all" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the outcome against the league leaders, with questionable refereeing decisions bearing the brunt of those frustrations.

The goal, though, was to channel the momentum of that impressive second-half display to Germany with them. Arsenal had begun poorly against Chelsea. In Munich they stuck to the plan and there was no repeat of that slow start.

Strong Start for Visitors

They started aggressively. The England forward was especially lively and created difficulties 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 the forward's attempt that gave Arsenal the advantage in the fifth minute, the striker's effort strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. The midfielder was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Lead

Arsenal's next score arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been risky and was exploited. Mead cut out Stine Ballisager's stray pass and passed to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The talented playmaker took a control to alleviate pressure from the defender before lashing past the goalkeeper.

After Break Collapse

The intensity dropped a little in the second half. José Barcala made substitutions 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, entered 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 guiding the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Total Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the hosts believing they could get a result from the game. Harder produced, floating a cross in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted it all, and six minutes later they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a sluggish end that let down Arsenal and, with one win from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.