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The London side required a strong display and positive result against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich with little resistance, casting their European campaign into tricky waters.

Different Fortunes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game avenged their heavy defeat to the German opponents and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the championship match. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, demonstrating a resilience that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here showed they are still searching for the fighting spirit that ensured success in May.

Travelling Supporters in Munich

More than 400 Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many filing into the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their traditional gathering. They were placed in a section of the middle tier 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 stands below.

Building on Recent Form

Daphne van Domselaar had stated her team had "showed everything we had" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the outcome against the WSL champions, with questionable refereeing decisions bearing the brunt of those disappointments.

The goal, 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 repetition of that sluggish beginning.

Strong Start for Visitors

They started aggressively. The England forward was particularly energetic and caused problems for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the midfielder Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing proved effective.

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. The midfielder was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in.

Extending 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. The winger cut out the defender's wayward ball and passed to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The talented playmaker took a touch to create space from the defender before driving past Grohs.

Second Half Collapse

The intensity lessened 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 Pernille Harder, whose three goals in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler followed shortly. The last of these would cause problems first, sprinting forward and collecting from Klara Bühl before guiding 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. The substitute produced, clipping a looping ball in from the edge of the area to equalize. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir turning in at the front post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a sluggish end that let down Arsenal and, with a single victory from three Champions League games, they have a big job ahead.