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The London side required a impressive display and favorable result against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Contrasting Outcomes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the final. It represented a pivotal moment in their season, showing a mental toughness that propelled them to a European triumph. Their breakdown here showed they are still searching for the spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters in Munich

Over four hundred Arsenal fans had made the trip 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, battling against the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that made their presence felt in the stands below.

Building on Recent Form

Daphne van Domselaar had stated her team had "given their all" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the result against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating 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 repetition of that sluggish beginning.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They started aggressively. The England forward was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern full-back Franziska Kett and the midfielder Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure proved effective.

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

Extending the Advantage

Arsenal's next score 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 the Swedish striker, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a control to alleviate pressure from the defender before driving past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Collapse

The energy lessened a little in the final period. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder, whose three goals in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent followed shortly. The last of these would cause problems first, sprinting forward and receiving from Klara Bühl before directing the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete Turnaround

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