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The London side needed a strong performance and positive outcome against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their 2-0 advantage and the victory 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 2-1 down to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their heavy defeat to the Bavarian side and ignited their phenomenal run to the championship match. It represented a turning point in their season, demonstrating a mental toughness that propelled them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here showed they are yet to recapture the fighting spirit that led to victory in May.

Fan Support in Germany

Over four hundred Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many filing into the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their traditional gathering. They were shoved into a corner of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still made their voices heard, battling against the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Building on Previous Performance

The Arsenal goalkeeper had stated her team had "showed everything we had" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the result against the league leaders, with questionable refereeing decisions bearing the brunt of those disappointments.

The goal, though, was to take the energy 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 repetition of that slow start.

Fast Beginning for Visitors

They started aggressively. The England forward was especially lively and created difficulties for the Bayern full-back their left-back and the midfielder Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure proved effective.

It was Mead's effort 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 head it back over the goalkeeper 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 cut out the defender's wayward ball and laid off to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the box. The talented playmaker took a control to create space from Tanikawa before driving past the goalkeeper.

After Break 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 Danish international, 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 last of these would cause problems first, flying away on the break and collecting from German winger before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the home team sensing they could get a result from the game. Harder delivered, clipping a looping ball in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted it all, and shortly after they had the lead, Icelandic defender scoring at the front post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a sluggish end that disappointed Arsenal and, with one win from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.