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The London side needed a impressive display and favorable result against a continental giant, but the team surrendered their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their European campaign into tricky waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Previous Campaign

Last season, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the championship match. It represented a pivotal moment in their season, showing a resilience that carried them to a European triumph. Their collapse here demonstrated they are yet to recapture the fighting spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters in Germany

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 corner of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, battling against the impressive home crowd 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 "deeply disappointed" by the outcome against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating bearing the brunt of those frustrations.

The aim, though, was to channel the momentum of that strong performance after halftime to Germany with them. Arsenal had begun poorly against Chelsea. In Munich they executed their strategy and there was no repeat of that slow start.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They started aggressively. The England forward was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the midfielder Japanese international 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, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to head it back over the goalkeeper and in.

Extending the Advantage

Arsenal's second goal arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been dangerous and was exploited. Mead cut out Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to Stina Blackstenius, who directed it towards Mariona Caldentey on the edge of the box. The talented playmaker took a touch to create space from Tanikawa before driving past Grohs.

After Break Turnaround

The intensity lessened a little in the final period. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to get his team back into the game: the ex-London striker Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent arrived soon after. The final substitute would cause problems first, sprinting forward and receiving from Klara Bühl before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Total Comeback

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the hosts believing they could get a result from the game. Harder 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 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 let down Arsenal and, with one win from three Champions League games, they have a big job ahead.