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The London side needed a impressive performance and favorable result against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their European campaign into tricky waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Last Season

In the previous campaign, a inspiring fightback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the German opponents and ignited their remarkable journey to the championship match. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, demonstrating a resilience that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here demonstrated they are yet to recapture the 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 corner 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 Recent Form

Daphne van Domselaar had stated her team had "showed everything we had" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the result against the league leaders, with questionable refereeing decisions bearing the brunt of those frustrations.

The goal, 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 repeat of that sluggish beginning.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They opened on the front foot. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and caused problems for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the central player Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing proved effective.

It was the forward's attempt that gave Arsenal the advantage in the early stages, 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.

Extending the Lead

Arsenal's next score arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been risky and was capitalized on. Mead cut out 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 the defender before driving past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Collapse

The energy dropped a little in the second half. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to get his team back into the game: the ex-London striker Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent followed shortly. The last of these would make Arsenal sweat first, flying away on the break and collecting from German winger before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Total Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the deficit was reduced, the hosts believing they could get a result from the game. Harder produced, clipping a looping ball in from the penalty box 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 turning in at the near post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a sluggish end that let down Arsenal and, with a single victory from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.