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The London side required a impressive performance and favorable result against a European powerhouse, but the team surrendered their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich with little resistance, plunging their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Last Season

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their heavy defeat to the German opponents and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the championship match. It marked a turning point in their season, showing a resilience that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here showed they are yet to recapture the fighting spirit that ensured success in May.

Fan Support 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 traditional gathering. They were placed in a section of the middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, competing with the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that made their presence felt in the lower tier.

Building on Previous Performance

Daphne van Domselaar had said her team had "given their all" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the result 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 repetition of that sluggish beginning.

Strong Start for Visitors

They opened on the front foot. 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 ensured Arsenal took the lead in the fifth minute, the striker's effort strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's second goal arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been dangerous and was exploited. The winger cut out Stine Ballisager's stray pass and passed to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the box. The mercurial midfielder took a control to create space from Tanikawa before lashing past Grohs.

After Break Turnaround

The energy dropped a little in the second half. José Barcala made substitutions 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, entered and Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent followed shortly. The final substitute would make Arsenal sweat first, sprinting forward and collecting from Klara Bühl before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Total Comeback

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the deficit was reduced, the home team believing they could take something from the game. Harder delivered, clipping a cross in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted it all, and shortly after they had the lead, Icelandic defender scoring at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a poor finish that disappointed Arsenal and, with one win from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.