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Arsenal needed a impressive display and positive result against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich with little resistance, casting their Champions League defence into difficult waters.

Different Outcomes from Last Season

In the previous campaign, a inspiring fightback from 2-1 down to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game made up for their opening 5-2 loss to the German opponents and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the championship match. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, showing a mental toughness 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 traveled 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, competing with the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the stands below.

Building on Recent Form

Daphne van Domselaar had said her team had "given their all" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the result against the WSL champions, with questionable refereeing decisions receiving much criticism of those disappointments.

The aim, 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 stuck to the plan and there was no repetition of that slow start.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They opened on the front foot. The England forward was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern full-back Franziska Kett and the central player Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure proved effective.

It was the forward's attempt that gave Arsenal the advantage in the fifth minute, 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 goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's second goal arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been risky and was exploited. The winger intercepted 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 mercurial midfielder took a control to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa before driving past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Turnaround

The energy dropped a little in the second half. José Barcala 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, entered and Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent followed shortly. The last of these would cause problems first, sprinting forward and collecting from Klara Bühl before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete Comeback

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the home team believing they could take something from the game. Harder delivered, floating a looping ball in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted it all, and shortly after they had the advantage, Icelandic defender turning in at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a sluggish end that disappointed Arsenal and, with one win from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.