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The London side required a strong performance and positive result against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their 2-0 advantage and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their European campaign into difficult waters.

Contrasting Outcomes from Previous Campaign

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 heavy defeat to the German opponents and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the final. It represented a turning point in their season, showing a resilience that propelled them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here showed they are still searching for the spirit that led to victory in May.

Fan Support in Germany

Over four hundred 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 middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, battling against the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the stands below.

Learning from 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 "devastated" by the result against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating receiving much criticism of those disappointments.

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 sluggish beginning.

Fast Beginning for Visitors

They opened on the front foot. Beth Mead was especially lively and caused problems for the Bayern full-back Franziska Kett and the central player Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure reaped its rewards.

It was the forward's attempt that gave Arsenal the advantage in the early stages, the England forward's shot strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. The midfielder was there to head it back over the keeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's next score arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been risky and was capitalized on. The winger cut out Stine Ballisager's stray pass and passed to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The talented playmaker took a control to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa before driving past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Turnaround

The energy lessened a little in the final period. José Barcala made substitutions to try to get his team back 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 Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent arrived soon after. The final substitute would make Arsenal sweat first, sprinting forward and collecting from German winger before directing the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete 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, floating a cross in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir turning in at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a sluggish end that let down Arsenal and, with a single victory from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.