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The London side required a impressive performance and favorable result against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Different Fortunes from Last Season

Last season, a battling comeback from 2-1 down 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 ignited their remarkable journey to the championship match. It represented a pivotal moment 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 ensured success in May.

Travelling Supporters in Munich

More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many filing into 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 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 "showed everything we had" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the result against the WSL champions, with questionable refereeing decisions bearing the brunt of those disappointments.

The goal, though, was to take the energy of that impressive second-half display 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 Visitors

They started aggressively. The England forward was especially lively and created difficulties for the Bayern full-back Franziska Kett and the midfielder Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure reaped its rewards.

It was Mead's effort that gave Arsenal the advantage in the early stages, the striker's effort unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in.

Extending the Lead

Arsenal's second goal arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been dangerous and was exploited. Mead cut out Stine Ballisager's stray pass and passed to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The talented playmaker took a control to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa before driving past Grohs.

After Break Turnaround

The energy lessened a little in the final period. The Bayern coach made substitutions to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent arrived soon after. The last of these would make Arsenal sweat first, flying away on the break and receiving from Klara Bühl before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete Comeback

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the deficit was reduced, the hosts sensing they could take something from the game. The substitute delivered, 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, Icelandic defender turning in at the near 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.