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Arsenal required a impressive display and favorable result against a European powerhouse, but the team surrendered their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a inspiring fightback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game avenged their heavy defeat to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the championship match. It represented a pivotal moment in their season, demonstrating a mental toughness that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here showed they are yet to recapture the spirit that ensured success in May.

Travelling Supporters in Germany

More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many gathering at the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were shoved into a corner 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 brought the noise in the lower tier.

Building on Recent Form

The Arsenal goalkeeper had stated her team had "showed everything we had" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the result against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating bearing the brunt of those disappointments.

The goal, though, was to channel the momentum 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 repetition of that sluggish beginning.

Strong Start for Visitors

They started aggressively. Beth Mead was especially lively and created difficulties for the Bayern full-back Franziska Kett and the midfielder Momoko Tanikawa 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 fifth minute, the striker's effort strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the keeper and in.

Doubling the Lead

Arsenal's second goal arrived midway through the half. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been dangerous and was capitalized on. The winger intercepted Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a control to alleviate pressure from the defender before lashing past Grohs.

After Break Turnaround

The energy lessened a little in the final period. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Danish international, whose three goals 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, flying away on the break and collecting from Klara Bühl before guiding 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, floating a looping ball in from the edge of the area to equalize. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted it all, and shortly after they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a poor finish that disappointed Arsenal and, with one win from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.