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The London side needed a strong display and positive outcome against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich with little resistance, casting their Champions League defence into difficult waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and ignited their remarkable journey to the championship match. It represented a turning point in their season, showing a resilience that propelled them to a European triumph. Their breakdown here demonstrated they are yet to recapture the spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters in Germany

More than 400 Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many filing into the city's famous beer hall before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were shoved into a section of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, battling against the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the stands below.

Building on Recent Form

Daphne van Domselaar had stated her team had "showed everything we had" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the outcome against the league leaders, with questionable refereeing decisions receiving much criticism of those frustrations.

The aim, 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 executed their strategy and there was no repeat of that slow start.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They started aggressively. The England forward was especially lively and caused problems for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the central player 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 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 midway through the half. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been risky and was exploited. Mead intercepted the defender's wayward ball and laid off to the Swedish striker, who directed it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a control to create space from the defender before lashing past Grohs.

After Break Collapse

The intensity lessened a little in the second half. The Bayern coach made substitutions to try to get his team back into the game: the ex-London striker Danish international, whose three goals in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The last of these would cause problems first, flying away on the break and collecting from Klara Bühl before guiding the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Complete Comeback

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the hosts believing they could get a result 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 it all, and shortly after they had the lead, Icelandic defender scoring at the near post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a sluggish end that let down Arsenal and, with a single victory from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.