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The London side required a strong display and positive result against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and all three points 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 a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match made up for their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and ignited their phenomenal run to the championship match. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, showing a resilience that carried them to a European triumph. Their breakdown here demonstrated they are still searching for the spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters in Munich

More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many filing into the city's famous beer hall before the game for their traditional gathering. They were placed in a section of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, battling against the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Building on Previous Performance

Daphne van Domselaar had stated her team had "showed everything we had" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the outcome against the WSL champions, 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 stuck to the plan and there was no repeat of that sluggish beginning.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They started aggressively. The England forward was particularly energetic and caused problems for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the central player Momoko Tanikawa 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 England forward's shot unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. The midfielder was there to head it back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's second goal arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been risky and was capitalized on. The winger cut out Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to the Swedish striker, who directed it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to create space from the defender before lashing past Grohs.

After Break Turnaround

The intensity lessened a little in the final period. José Barcala made substitutions to try to get his team back 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 Arianna Caruso 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.

Complete Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the deficit was reduced, the hosts believing they could take something from the game. The substitute produced, clipping a looping ball 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 lead, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the front 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 big job ahead.