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The London side needed a strong performance and positive result against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their European campaign into difficult waters.

Contrasting Outcomes from Last Season

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their final group game avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the final. It marked a turning point in their season, demonstrating a mental toughness that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here demonstrated they are still searching for the fighting spirit that led to victory in May.

Fan Support in Germany

More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many filing into the city's famous beer hall 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 made their voices heard, battling against the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that made their presence felt in the stands below.

Learning from Previous Performance

Daphne van Domselaar had stated her team had "showed everything we had" 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 frustrations.

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

Fast Beginning for Visitors

They started aggressively. The England forward 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 proved effective.

It was the forward's attempt that ensured Arsenal took the lead in the early stages, the striker's effort unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in.

Extending the Lead

Arsenal's next score arrived midway through the half. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been risky and was exploited. Mead cut out the defender's wayward ball and passed to Stina Blackstenius, who directed it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to create space from Tanikawa before lashing past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Collapse

The energy dropped a little in the second half. The Bayern coach made substitutions to try to get his team back into the game: the ex-London striker Danish international, whose three goals in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Italian midfielder and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The last of these would cause problems first, flying away on the break and receiving from Klara Bühl before guiding the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Total Comeback

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the home team believing they could get a result from the game. Harder delivered, floating a looping ball in from the penalty box to level. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Glodis Viggosdottir 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 three Champions League games, they have a big job ahead.