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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, casting their European campaign into tricky waters.

Different Outcomes from Previous Campaign

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 heavy defeat to the German opponents and ignited their phenomenal run to the championship match. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, showing a resilience that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here demonstrated they are still searching for the spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters in Germany

More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many filing into the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their traditional gathering. They were shoved into a section of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still made their voices heard, battling against the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the stands below.

Learning from Previous Performance

The Arsenal goalkeeper had stated her team had "given their all" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the result against the league leaders, with questionable refereeing decisions receiving much criticism of those frustrations.

The aim, though, was to take the energy of that impressive second-half display 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 opened on the front foot. Beth Mead was especially lively and caused problems for the Bayern full-back 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 England forward's shot 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 Advantage

Arsenal's next score arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been dangerous and was exploited. Mead cut out the defender's wayward ball and passed to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the edge of the box. The mercurial midfielder took a control to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa before driving past Grohs.

Second Half Turnaround

The energy dropped a little in the final period. José Barcala turned to his bench to try to bring his side 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 Italian midfielder and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The final substitute would cause problems first, flying away on the break and collecting from Klara Bühl before guiding the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Complete Comeback

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the deficit was reduced, the hosts believing they could get a result 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 six minutes later they had the advantage, Icelandic defender scoring at the near post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a poor finish that let down Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a big job ahead.