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Arsenal needed a strong performance and favorable outcome against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich with little resistance, casting their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Last Season

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a 3-2 victory 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 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 yet to recapture the fighting spirit that led to victory in May.

Fan Support in Munich

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 section of the middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, competing with the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the stands below.

Building on Previous Performance

Daphne van Domselaar had said her team had "showed everything we had" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the outcome against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating bearing the brunt of those frustrations.

The aim, though, was to channel the momentum of that impressive second-half display to Germany with them. Arsenal had begun poorly against Chelsea. In Munich they stuck to the plan and there was no repetition of that sluggish beginning.

Fast Beginning for Arsenal

They opened on the front foot. Beth Mead was especially lively and created difficulties for the Bayern full-back their left-back and the midfielder Momoko Tanikawa 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 striker's effort unusually parried 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 next score arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been risky and was capitalized on. Mead intercepted Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a control to create space from Tanikawa before driving past Grohs.

After Break Collapse

The energy lessened a little in the final period. José Barcala turned to his bench to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder, whose hat-trick in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The last of these would cause problems first, flying away on the break and receiving from German winger before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete Comeback

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the deficit was reduced, the hosts sensing they could get a result from the game. The substitute produced, clipping a cross in from the penalty box to equalize. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the lead, 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 one win from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.