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The London side required a impressive display and favorable result against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their Champions League defence into difficult waters.

Contrasting Outcomes from Previous Campaign

Last season, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their heavy defeat to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the final. It represented a turning point in their season, showing a mental toughness that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here showed they are yet to recapture the spirit that ensured success in May.

Fan Support in Germany

More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many filing into the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were placed in a corner of the middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, battling against the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise 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 league leaders, with questionable refereeing decisions bearing the brunt of those disappointments.

The aim, though, was to channel the momentum of that impressive second-half display to Germany with them. Arsenal had begun poorly against Chelsea. In Munich they executed their strategy and there was no repetition 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 full-back their left-back and the central player Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure proved effective.

It was the forward's attempt that ensured Arsenal took the lead in the early stages, the England forward's shot strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. 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 risky 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 penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a control to create space from Tanikawa before driving past the goalkeeper.

After Break Collapse

The energy dropped a little in the second half. José Barcala made substitutions to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Italian midfielder and Alara Sehitler followed shortly. The last of these would cause problems first, flying away on the break and collecting from Klara Bühl before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the hosts sensing they could take something from the game. The substitute delivered, floating a looping ball in from the penalty box to equalize. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Glodis Viggosdottir turning in at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a poor finish that disappointed Arsenal and, with a single victory from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.