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

Different Outcomes from Last Season

Last season, a inspiring fightback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their heavy defeat to the German opponents and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the championship match. It represented a pivotal moment in their season, demonstrating a mental toughness that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here showed they are still searching for 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 city's famous beer hall before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were shoved into a section of the middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, competing with the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Learning from Recent Form

Daphne van Domselaar had said her team had "given their all" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the result against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating bearing the brunt of those disappointments.

The aim, though, was to take the energy of that strong performance after halftime to Germany with them. Arsenal had started slowly against Chelsea. In Munich they stuck to the plan and there was no repetition of that sluggish beginning.

Fast Beginning for Arsenal

They started aggressively. The England forward was especially lively and created difficulties for the Bayern defender their left-back and the central player Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure reaped its rewards.

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, the German shot-stopper. The midfielder was there to head it back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Lead

Arsenal's next score arrived midway through the half. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been dangerous and was capitalized on. The winger cut out Stine Ballisager's stray pass and passed to Stina Blackstenius, who directed it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The talented playmaker took a touch to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa before driving past the goalkeeper.

After Break Turnaround

The energy dropped a little in the second half. José Barcala turned to his bench to try to bring his side into the game: the former Chelsea forward Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The last of these would cause problems first, sprinting forward and collecting from Klara Bühl before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Total Comeback

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the deficit was reduced, the hosts sensing they could take something from the game. The substitute produced, clipping a cross in from the penalty box to level. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the lead, Icelandic defender turning in 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 their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.