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Arsenal needed a strong display and favorable result against a continental giant, but the team surrendered their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich with little resistance, plunging their Champions League defence into difficult waters.

Different Outcomes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a inspiring fightback from a goal behind to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the German opponents and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the championship match. It marked a turning point in their season, showing a mental toughness that propelled them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here demonstrated they are still searching for the spirit that ensured success in May.

Travelling Supporters 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, battling against the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Building on Previous Performance

The Arsenal goalkeeper had said her team had "given their all" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the result against the WSL champions, with questionable refereeing decisions receiving much criticism of those frustrations.

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 repeat of that slow start.

Strong Start for Visitors

They opened on the front foot. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the midfielder Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing reaped its rewards.

It was the forward's attempt 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 head it back over the keeper and in.

Extending 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 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 touch to alleviate pressure from the defender before lashing past the goalkeeper.

After Break Collapse

The intensity dropped a little in the second half. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Italian midfielder and Alara Sehitler followed shortly. The final substitute would cause problems first, sprinting forward and receiving from German winger before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Total Comeback

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the home team sensing they could take something from the game. The substitute delivered, clipping a cross in from the penalty box to equalize. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the front post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a sluggish end that let down Arsenal and, with one win from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.