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The London side required a strong display and favorable result against a European powerhouse, 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 difficult waters.

Contrasting Outcomes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their final group game avenged their heavy defeat to the German opponents and ignited their phenomenal run to the championship match. It represented a turning point in their season, demonstrating a mental toughness that propelled them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here showed they are yet to recapture the fighting spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters in Munich

More than 400 Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many filing into the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their traditional gathering. They were placed in a corner of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still made their voices heard, competing with the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Building on Previous Performance

Daphne van Domselaar had stated her team had "showed everything we had" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the result against the WSL champions, with questionable refereeing decisions 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 executed their strategy and there was no repetition of that slow start.

Strong Start for Visitors

They started aggressively. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the midfielder Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure reaped its rewards.

It was the forward's attempt that gave Arsenal the advantage in the fifth minute, the England forward's shot unusually parried 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 midway through the half. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been dangerous and was capitalized on. The winger intercepted Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a control to create space from Tanikawa before lashing past Grohs.

Second Half Turnaround

The energy dropped a little in the second half. José Barcala made substitutions to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder, whose three goals in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent followed shortly. The last of these would cause problems first, sprinting forward and receiving from German winger before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Complete Comeback

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the deficit was reduced, the home team believing they could take something from the game. Harder delivered, clipping a cross in from the penalty box to equalize. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted it all, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Icelandic defender scoring at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a poor finish that let down Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a big job ahead.