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Arsenal needed a strong performance and positive outcome against a continental giant, but the team relinquished their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Last Season

Last season, 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 German opponents and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the championship match. 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 yet to recapture the spirit that led to victory in May.

Fan Support in Munich

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 placed in a corner of the middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still made their voices heard, competing with the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Building on Previous Performance

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 outcome against the WSL champions, with questionable refereeing decisions receiving much criticism of those disappointments.

The aim, though, was to take the energy of that strong performance after halftime 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 opened on the front foot. The England forward was especially lively and caused problems for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the midfielder Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing reaped its rewards.

It was Mead's effort that gave Arsenal the advantage in the early stages, the England forward's shot unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was there to head it back over the keeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's next score arrived midway through the half. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been risky and was capitalized on. Mead cut out the defender's wayward ball and passed to Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the box. The talented playmaker took a control to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa before driving past Grohs.

After Break Collapse

The energy lessened a little in the final period. José Barcala turned to his bench to try to bring his side into the game: the ex-London striker Pernille Harder, whose three goals in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent arrived soon after. The last of these would cause problems first, flying away on the break and receiving from German winger before directing the ball past Van Domselaar.

Total Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the home team believing they could take something from the game. The substitute produced, floating a looping ball in from the penalty box to equalize. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and shortly after they had the advantage, Icelandic defender turning in at the near post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a sluggish end that disappointed Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.