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The London side required a impressive display and favorable result against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their 2-0 advantage and all three points to Bayern Munich with little resistance, plunging 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 made up for their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the final. It represented a pivotal moment in their season, demonstrating a mental toughness that carried them to a European triumph. Their breakdown here showed they are still searching for the fighting spirit that ensured success in May.

Fan Support in Germany

Over four hundred Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many gathering at the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their traditional gathering. They were placed in a corner of the upper level 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 Recent Form

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 result against the league leaders, with controversial officiating bearing the brunt of those disappointments.

The aim, 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 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 Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure proved effective.

It was Mead's effort that gave Arsenal the advantage in the fifth minute, the striker's effort strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in.

Extending the Lead

Arsenal's second goal arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been risky and was capitalized on. Mead cut out Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the box. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa before driving past Grohs.

After Break Turnaround

The energy lessened a little in the final period. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to bring his side 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 Turkish talent followed shortly. The last of these would cause problems first, sprinting forward and receiving from Klara Bühl before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Total Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the hosts sensing they could take something from the game. The substitute delivered, floating a cross in from the edge of the area to equalize. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted it all, and six minutes later they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a poor finish that let down Arsenal and, with one win from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.