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The London side needed a impressive performance and positive result against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their European campaign into difficult waters.

Contrasting Outcomes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the German opponents and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the final. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, demonstrating a mental toughness that propelled them to a European triumph. Their collapse here showed they are still searching for the fighting spirit that ensured success in May.

Travelling Supporters in Germany

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 placed in a corner of the upper level 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.

Learning from Previous Performance

Daphne van Domselaar had stated her team had "given their all" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the result against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating receiving much criticism of those disappointments.

The aim, though, was to channel the momentum 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 Arsenal

They opened on the front foot. Beth Mead was especially lively 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 the forward's attempt that gave Arsenal the advantage in the fifth minute, 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 goalkeeper and in.

Extending the Advantage

Arsenal's second goal arrived midway through the half. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been risky and was exploited. Mead cut out the defender's wayward ball and laid off to the Swedish striker, who directed it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The talented playmaker took a control to alleviate pressure from the defender before lashing past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Collapse

The energy lessened a little in the final period. José Barcala made substitutions to try to get his team back into the game: the ex-London striker Danish international, whose three goals in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent arrived soon after. The final substitute would make Arsenal sweat first, sprinting forward and collecting from German winger 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. The substitute delivered, clipping a cross in from the penalty box to equalize. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted it all, and shortly after they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the front post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a sluggish end that disappointed Arsenal and, with a single victory from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.