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The London side needed a impressive display and positive result against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich with little resistance, casting their Champions League defence into difficult waters.

Different Fortunes from Last Season

Last season, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game avenged their heavy defeat to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the championship match. It represented a pivotal moment in their season, showing a resilience that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here demonstrated they are yet to recapture the spirit that ensured success in May.

Travelling Supporters in Munich

More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled 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, battling against the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

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 league leaders, with controversial officiating bearing the brunt of those disappointments.

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 stuck to the plan and there was no repeat of that slow start.

Fast Beginning for Visitors

They opened on the front foot. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the central player Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure 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, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to head it back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Lead

Arsenal's next score arrived midway through the half. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been dangerous and was exploited. Mead intercepted the defender's wayward ball and passed to the Swedish striker, who directed it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The talented playmaker took a touch to alleviate pressure from the defender before lashing past Grohs.

Second Half Turnaround

The energy dropped a little in the second half. José Barcala turned to his bench to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. 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 ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the home team sensing they could get a result from the game. The substitute delivered, clipping a cross in from the penalty box to level. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted it all, and six minutes later they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir turning in at the near post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a poor finish that disappointed Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.