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The London side needed a strong display and positive result against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their Champions League defence into difficult waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Last Season

Last season, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their heavy defeat to the German opponents and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the championship match. It marked a turning point in their season, showing a resilience that carried them to a European triumph. Their collapse here demonstrated they are yet to recapture the spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters in Germany

More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many filing into the city's famous beer hall before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were placed in a corner of the middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, battling against the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that made their presence felt in the lower tier.

Learning from Previous Performance

Daphne van Domselaar had said her team had "given their all" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the outcome against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating receiving much criticism of those frustrations.

The goal, 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 repetition of that slow start.

Fast Beginning for Arsenal

They started aggressively. The England forward was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern full-back Franziska Kett and the central player Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing reaped its rewards.

It was the forward's attempt that ensured Arsenal took the lead in the early stages, the England forward's shot strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. The midfielder was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's next score arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been dangerous and was capitalized on. The winger cut out Stine Ballisager's stray pass and passed to Stina Blackstenius, who directed it towards Mariona Caldentey on the edge of the box. The mercurial midfielder took a control to create space from the defender before lashing past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Collapse

The energy dropped a little in the second half. José Barcala made substitutions 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 Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The last of these would make Arsenal sweat first, flying away on the break and receiving from Klara Bühl before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete Turnaround

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the deficit was reduced, the hosts sensing they could take something from the game. Harder produced, floating 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 advantage, Icelandic defender turning in at the near post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a sluggish end that disappointed Arsenal and, with one win from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.