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Arsenal required a strong performance and favorable result against a continental giant, but the team surrendered their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their Champions League defence into difficult waters.

Contrasting Fortunes 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 made up for their heavy defeat to the Bavarian side and ignited their remarkable journey to the championship match. It marked a turning point in their season, showing a mental toughness that propelled them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here showed they are still searching for the fighting spirit that ensured success in May.

Fan Support in Germany

Over four hundred Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many gathering at the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their traditional gathering. They were shoved into a corner of the middle tier 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 lower tier.

Learning from Previous Performance

The Arsenal goalkeeper had said her team had "given their all" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the outcome against the WSL champions, with questionable refereeing decisions receiving much criticism of those frustrations.

The goal, though, was to channel the momentum of that strong performance after halftime to Germany with them. Arsenal had begun poorly against Chelsea. In Munich they executed their strategy and there was no repeat of that slow start.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They started aggressively. The England forward was especially lively and caused problems for the Bayern defender their left-back and the central player Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing reaped its rewards.

It was Mead's effort that gave Arsenal the advantage in the early stages, the England forward's shot strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the keeper and in.

Extending the Advantage

Arsenal's second goal arrived midway through the half. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been risky and was capitalized on. The winger intercepted the defender's wayward ball and laid off to the Swedish striker, who directed it towards the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the box. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa before driving past the goalkeeper.

After Break 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 three goals in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The last of these would cause problems first, flying away on the break and collecting from Klara Bühl before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Total Comeback

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the home team sensing they could get a result from the game. Harder delivered, floating a cross in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted it all, and six minutes later they had the lead, Icelandic defender turning in at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a sluggish end that let down Arsenal and, with one win from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.