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

Different Fortunes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a inspiring fightback from a goal behind to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their final group game avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the German opponents and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the championship match. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, showing a resilience that propelled them to a European triumph. Their collapse here demonstrated they are still searching for the fighting spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters 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 corner of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, competing with the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that made their presence felt in the lower tier.

Building on Recent Form

Daphne van Domselaar had said her team had "given their all" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the result against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating receiving much criticism of those disappointments.

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 repetition of that slow start.

Fast Beginning for Arsenal

They opened on the front foot. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and caused problems for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the central player Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing reaped its rewards.

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, Maria Luisa Grohs. The midfielder was there to nod the ball back over the keeper 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 risky and was capitalized on. Mead intercepted Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a control to alleviate pressure from the defender before driving past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Collapse

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 Pernille Harder, whose three goals 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, flying away on the break and receiving from German winger before directing the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the deficit was reduced, the hosts sensing they could take something from the game. Harder produced, clipping a looping ball in from the penalty box to equalize. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the near post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a sluggish end that let down Arsenal and, with a single victory from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.