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The London side required a impressive performance and positive result against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich with little resistance, casting their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Different Fortunes from Last Season

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and ignited their phenomenal run to the final. It marked a turning point in their season, showing a resilience that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here demonstrated they are yet to recapture the fighting spirit that ensured success in May.

Travelling Supporters in Munich

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 traditional gathering. They were shoved into a section of the middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still made their voices heard, battling against the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Building on Recent Form

The Arsenal goalkeeper had said her team had "given their all" in their hard-fought tie 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 aim, though, was to channel the momentum 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 sluggish beginning.

Fast Beginning for Arsenal

They started aggressively. The England forward was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern full-back their left-back 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 ensured Arsenal took the lead in the early stages, the England forward's shot strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was there to head it back over the goalkeeper 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. Mead intercepted Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to the Swedish striker, who directed it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The talented playmaker took a control to create space from Tanikawa before driving past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Turnaround

The energy dropped 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 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent arrived soon after. The last of these 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 deficit was reduced, the hosts believing they could get a result from the game. Harder delivered, floating a looping ball 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, Icelandic defender scoring at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a sluggish end that disappointed Arsenal and, with one win from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.