🔗 Share this article

The London side required a impressive performance and favorable result against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their Champions League defence into difficult waters.

Different Fortunes from Previous Campaign

Last season, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game made up for their heavy defeat to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the championship match. It marked a turning point in their season, showing a resilience that propelled them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here showed they are still searching for the spirit that ensured success in May.

Fan Support in Germany

Over four hundred Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many filing into the city's famous beer hall before the game for their traditional gathering. They were shoved into a section of the middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still made their voices heard, battling against the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the stands below.

Learning from Previous Performance

The Arsenal goalkeeper had stated her team had "given their all" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the outcome against the league leaders, with controversial officiating bearing the brunt of those frustrations.

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

Strong Start for Arsenal

They opened on the front foot. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and caused problems for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the midfielder Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure reaped its rewards.

It was Mead's effort that gave Arsenal the advantage in the fifth minute, the striker's effort unusually parried 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 midway through the half. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been risky and was exploited. Mead intercepted the defender's wayward ball and laid off to Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a control to create space from Tanikawa before lashing past Grohs.

After Break Turnaround

The energy dropped a little in the second half. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to bring his side into the game: the ex-London striker Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent followed shortly. The final substitute would cause problems first, sprinting forward and collecting from German winger before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Total Turnaround

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the home team sensing they could get a result from the game. Harder produced, clipping a cross in from the penalty box to equalize. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted it all, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Icelandic defender 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 big job ahead.