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The London side needed a strong display and favorable result against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Different Fortunes from Last Season

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the German opponents and ignited their phenomenal run to the final. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, showing a resilience that propelled them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here demonstrated they are yet to recapture the spirit that led to victory in May.

Fan Support in Munich

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 upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, competing with the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Building on Previous Performance

Daphne van Domselaar 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 WSL champions, with controversial officiating receiving much criticism of those frustrations.

The aim, 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 executed their strategy and there was no repetition of that slow start.

Strong Start for Visitors

They started aggressively. Beth Mead was especially lively and caused problems for the Bayern defender their left-back and the midfielder Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing proved effective.

It was the forward's attempt that ensured Arsenal took the lead in the early stages, the striker's effort strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was there to nod the ball 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 risky and was capitalized on. The winger intercepted the defender's wayward ball and passed to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa before lashing past the goalkeeper.

After Break Turnaround

The intensity dropped a little in the second half. José Barcala turned to his bench to try to bring his side into the game: the ex-London striker Pernille Harder, whose hat-trick in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The last of these would cause problems first, flying away on the break and receiving from Klara Bühl before directing the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the deficit was reduced, the hosts sensing they could take something from the game. Harder delivered, clipping a cross in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Icelandic defender scoring at the near post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a poor finish that let down Arsenal and, with one win from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.