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The London side required a impressive display and favorable result against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their Champions League defence into difficult waters.

Different Fortunes from Last Season

Last season, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their final group game made up for 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 propelled them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here showed they are yet to recapture the fighting 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 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.

Building on 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 receiving much criticism of those disappointments.

The aim, though, was to take the energy of that impressive second-half display to Germany with them. Arsenal had started slowly 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 caused problems for the Bayern full-back their left-back and the central player Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing proved effective.

It was the forward's attempt that ensured Arsenal took the lead in the fifth minute, 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 keeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's next score arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been dangerous and was capitalized on. The winger intercepted the defender's wayward ball and laid off to the Swedish striker, who directed it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to create space from Tanikawa before lashing past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Turnaround

The intensity lessened a little in the final period. The Bayern coach 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 followed shortly. The last of these would cause problems first, sprinting forward and receiving from German winger before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Total Comeback

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the home team 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, Icelandic defender scoring at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a poor finish that disappointed Arsenal and, with one win from their European matches, they have a big job ahead.