🔗 Share this article

Arsenal required a strong performance and favorable result against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich with little resistance, plunging their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Different Fortunes from Last Season

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the German opponents and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the championship match. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, demonstrating a resilience that propelled them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here demonstrated they are still searching for the fighting spirit that led to victory in May.

Fan Support in Germany

More than 400 Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many gathering at the city's famous beer hall before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were shoved into a section of the upper level 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

The Arsenal goalkeeper 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 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 executed their strategy and there was no repeat of that sluggish beginning.

Strong Start for Visitors

They started aggressively. The England forward was especially lively 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 Mead's effort that ensured Arsenal took the lead in the fifth minute, the striker's effort strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. The midfielder was there to nod the ball back over the keeper and in.

Extending 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 exploited. 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 touch to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa before driving past Grohs.

Second Half Turnaround

The energy dropped a little in the second half. José Barcala made substitutions to try to bring his side into the game: the ex-London striker Danish international, whose hat-trick 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, sprinting forward and receiving from German winger before directing the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the deficit was reduced, the home team believing they could get a result from the game. Harder delivered, 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, Icelandic defender scoring at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a sluggish end that disappointed Arsenal and, with a single victory from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.