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

Different Fortunes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the German opponents and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the final. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, demonstrating a resilience that propelled them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here demonstrated they are still searching for the fighting spirit that ensured success 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 placed in a corner of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, competing with the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Learning from Recent Form

The Arsenal goalkeeper had stated 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 controversial officiating bearing the brunt of those frustrations.

The goal, though, was to take the energy of that impressive second-half display to Germany with them. Arsenal had begun poorly against Chelsea. In Munich they stuck to the plan and there was no repeat of that slow start.

Strong Start for Visitors

They started aggressively. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern defender their left-back and the central player Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing proved effective.

It was the forward's attempt that ensured Arsenal took the lead in the fifth minute, the England forward's shot unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. The midfielder was there to nod the ball back over the keeper and in.

Extending the Lead

Arsenal's next score arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been risky and was capitalized on. The winger intercepted Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a control to create space from Tanikawa before driving past the goalkeeper.

After Break Collapse

The energy lessened a little in the second half. The Bayern coach made substitutions to try to bring his side into the game: the former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder, whose hat-trick in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Italian midfielder and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The final substitute would make Arsenal sweat first, sprinting forward and collecting from German winger before guiding the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Total Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the deficit was reduced, the hosts believing they could take something from the game. The substitute produced, clipping a looping ball in from the penalty box to level. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Glodis Viggosdottir turning in at the near post from Bühl's cross. 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.