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Arsenal required a impressive display and positive outcome against a continental giant, but the team relinquished their 2-0 advantage and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their Champions League defence into difficult waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Last Season

Last season, a inspiring fightback 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 German opponents and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the championship match. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, demonstrating a mental toughness that carried them to a European triumph. Their collapse here demonstrated they are still searching for the spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters in Munich

Over four hundred 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 shoved into a corner 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 made their presence felt in the stands below.

Learning from Previous Performance

The Arsenal goalkeeper had stated her team had "showed everything we had" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the outcome against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating bearing the brunt 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.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They started aggressively. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the midfielder Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure reaped its rewards.

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

Extending the Lead

Arsenal's next score arrived midway through the half. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been risky and was capitalized on. Mead cut out the defender's wayward ball and laid off to Stina Blackstenius, who directed it towards the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the box. The talented playmaker took a control to create space from the defender before driving past Grohs.

Second Half Turnaround

The intensity lessened a little in the final period. José Barcala turned to his bench to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Danish international, whose three goals in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The last of these would make Arsenal sweat first, flying away on the break and receiving from German winger before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Complete Turnaround

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the deficit was reduced, the home team sensing they could take something from the game. Harder delivered, floating a cross in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted it all, and shortly after they had the advantage, Icelandic defender scoring at the near post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a sluggish end that disappointed Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.