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The London side needed a impressive display and favorable result against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich with little resistance, casting their Champions League defence into difficult waters.

Contrasting Outcomes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a inspiring fightback from 2-1 down to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their heavy defeat to the German opponents and ignited their phenomenal run to the championship match. It represented a pivotal moment in their season, showing a resilience that carried them to a European triumph. Their breakdown here showed they are still searching for the fighting spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters in Germany

More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many gathering at the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were shoved into a section of the upper level 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 stands below.

Learning from Recent Form

The Arsenal goalkeeper 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 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 started slowly against Chelsea. In Munich they executed their strategy and there was no repeat of that slow start.

Fast Beginning for Visitors

They started aggressively. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern defender their left-back and the midfielder Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure proved effective.

It was the forward's attempt that gave Arsenal the advantage in the early stages, the striker's effort unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper 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 exploited. The winger cut out the defender's wayward ball and laid off to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the box. The mercurial midfielder took a control to alleviate pressure from the defender before lashing past Grohs.

After Break Turnaround

The intensity lessened a little in the second half. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to bring his side into the game: the ex-London striker Pernille Harder, whose three goals in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent followed shortly. The last of these would cause problems first, sprinting forward and collecting from German winger before guiding the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Complete Comeback

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the deficit was reduced, the home team believing they could take something from the game. The substitute delivered, floating a cross in from the penalty box to level. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and shortly after they had the advantage, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the front post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a poor finish that let down Arsenal and, with one win from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.