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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 all three points to Bayern Munich with little resistance, plunging their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Contrasting Outcomes 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 made up for their opening 5-2 loss to the German opponents and ignited their remarkable journey to the championship match. It marked a turning point in their season, demonstrating a mental toughness that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown 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 gathering at the Hofbräuhaus 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, battling against the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the stands below.

Building on Previous Performance

The Arsenal goalkeeper had said her team had "showed everything we had" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the outcome against the WSL champions, with questionable refereeing decisions bearing the brunt of those frustrations.

The goal, though, was to take the energy of that impressive second-half display to Germany with them. Arsenal had started slowly against Chelsea. In Munich they stuck to the plan and there was no repeat of that sluggish beginning.

Fast Beginning for Visitors

They started aggressively. The England forward was particularly energetic and caused problems for the Bayern full-back their left-back and the central player Japanese international 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 striker's effort strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to head it back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's next score arrived midway through the half. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been dangerous and was exploited. Mead intercepted the defender's wayward ball and laid off to Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a control to alleviate pressure from the defender before lashing past the goalkeeper.

After Break Collapse

The intensity dropped a little in the final period. 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 Alara Sehitler followed shortly. The last of these would cause problems first, sprinting forward and receiving from Klara Bühl before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete Comeback

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the deficit was reduced, the home team believing they could get a result from the game. The substitute produced, clipping a cross in from the penalty box to equalize. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted it all, and shortly after they had the lead, Icelandic defender turning in at the near post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a sluggish end that let down Arsenal and, with one win from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.