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

Contrasting Outcomes from Last Season

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match made up for their opening 5-2 loss to the German opponents and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the final. It represented a pivotal moment in their season, showing a mental toughness that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here showed they are still searching for the fighting spirit that ensured success in May.

Travelling Supporters in Munich

More than 400 Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many gathering at the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their traditional gathering. They were placed in a section of the middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still made their voices heard, battling against the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that made their presence felt in the lower tier.

Building on Recent Form

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 receiving much criticism of those frustrations.

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.

Fast Beginning for Arsenal

They started aggressively. Beth Mead was especially lively and caused problems for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the midfielder Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure reaped its rewards.

It was Mead's effort that ensured Arsenal took the lead in the fifth minute, the England forward's shot unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was there to head it back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Lead

Arsenal's next score arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been risky and was exploited. The winger intercepted the defender's wayward ball and laid off to the Swedish striker, who directed it towards Mariona Caldentey on the edge of the box. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa before lashing past Grohs.

Second Half Turnaround

The intensity lessened a little in the second half. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to bring his side into the game: the ex-London striker Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent followed shortly. The last of these would make Arsenal sweat first, sprinting forward and collecting from German winger before directing the ball past Van Domselaar.

Total Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the hosts believing they could get a result from the game. Harder produced, clipping a looping ball in from the penalty box to level. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the near post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a poor finish that disappointed Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.