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The London side needed a strong display and favorable outcome against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their Champions League defence into difficult waters.

Different Fortunes from Previous Campaign

Last season, a inspiring fightback 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 remarkable journey 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 breakdown here demonstrated they are yet to recapture the spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters in Munich

More than 400 Arsenal fans had made the trip 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 brought the noise in the lower tier.

Building on 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 "devastated" by the result against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating receiving much criticism of those frustrations.

The goal, though, was to channel the momentum 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 repetition of that sluggish beginning.

Fast Beginning for Arsenal

They opened on the front foot. Beth Mead was especially lively and created difficulties 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 Mead's effort that gave Arsenal the advantage in the early stages, the striker's effort strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. The midfielder was there to nod the ball back over the keeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's next score arrived midway through the half. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been risky and was exploited. The winger cut out the defender's wayward ball and passed to the Swedish striker, who directed it towards Mariona Caldentey on the edge of the box. The talented playmaker took a touch to alleviate pressure from the defender before driving past Grohs.

Second Half Collapse

The energy dropped a little in the final period. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to bring his side into the game: the former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent arrived soon after. The last of these would cause problems first, flying away on the break and receiving from German winger before directing the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete Turnaround

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the deficit was reduced, the hosts believing they could take something from the game. Harder delivered, floating a looping ball in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and shortly after they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir turning in at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a sluggish end that let down Arsenal and, with a single victory from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.