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The London side required a impressive performance and positive outcome against a continental giant, but the team relinquished their 2-0 advantage and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their European campaign into difficult waters.

Different Outcomes from Previous Campaign

Last season, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the final. It represented a turning point in their season, showing a resilience that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here showed they are still searching for the fighting spirit that led to victory in May.

Fan Support in Munich

Over four hundred Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many gathering at the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were shoved into a section of the middle tier 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.

Learning from Previous Performance

The Arsenal goalkeeper had said 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 receiving much criticism of those disappointments.

The aim, though, was to take the energy of that strong performance after halftime to Germany with them. Arsenal had begun poorly against Chelsea. In Munich they stuck to the plan and there was no repeat of that slow start.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They opened on the front foot. The England forward was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern full-back their left-back and the central player 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 fifth minute, the England forward's shot strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's second goal arrived in the 23rd minute. 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 Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The talented playmaker took a control to create space from Tanikawa before driving past Grohs.

Second Half Turnaround

The intensity lessened a little in the final period. José Barcala turned to his bench to try to bring his side into the game: the former Chelsea forward Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The final substitute would cause problems first, sprinting forward and collecting from German winger before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Total Comeback

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the home team sensing they could get a result from the game. Harder produced, clipping a cross in from the penalty box to equalize. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and shortly after they had the advantage, Glodis Viggosdottir turning in at the near post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a poor finish that disappointed Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a big job ahead.