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Arsenal needed a impressive performance and positive outcome against a continental giant, but the team surrendered their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich with little resistance, plunging their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Different Fortunes from Last Season

In the previous campaign, a inspiring fightback from 2-1 down to a narrow win 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 pivotal moment in their season, showing a resilience that propelled them to a European triumph. Their collapse here demonstrated they are yet to recapture the spirit that ensured success in May.

Fan Support in Munich

More than 400 Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many gathering at the city's famous beer hall before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were shoved into a corner of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, competing with the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that made their presence felt in the lower tier.

Learning from Previous Performance

The Arsenal goalkeeper had stated her team had "showed everything we had" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the result against the league leaders, with questionable refereeing decisions receiving much criticism of those disappointments.

The goal, though, was to take the energy 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 repeat of that slow start.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They opened on the front foot. The England forward was especially lively and created difficulties for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the central player Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing proved effective.

It was the forward's attempt 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 head it back over the keeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's second goal arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been dangerous and was capitalized on. Mead cut out the defender's wayward ball and passed to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the box. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to create space from the defender before driving past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Turnaround

The intensity lessened a little in the final period. José Barcala made substitutions to try to bring his side into the game: the ex-London striker Pernille Harder, whose three goals in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler followed shortly. The final substitute would cause problems first, flying away on the break and receiving from German winger before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Total Turnaround

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the hosts believing they could get a result from the game. Harder delivered, floating a looping ball in from the penalty box to equalize. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Icelandic defender turning in at the near post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a sluggish end that let down Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.