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Arsenal required a strong display and favorable outcome against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich with little resistance, casting their European campaign into difficult waters.

Different Fortunes from Previous Campaign

Last season, a inspiring fightback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the final. It marked a turning point 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 fighting spirit that led to victory in May.

Fan Support in Munich

Over four hundred 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 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 made their presence felt in the lower tier.

Building on Recent Form

The Arsenal goalkeeper had stated her team had "given their all" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the outcome against the league leaders, with questionable refereeing decisions receiving much criticism of those disappointments.

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.

Fast Beginning for Visitors

They started aggressively. Beth Mead was especially lively and caused problems for the Bayern full-back Franziska Kett and the midfielder Momoko Tanikawa 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 fifth minute, the striker's effort strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to head it back over the keeper and in.

Doubling the Lead

Arsenal's second goal arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been risky and was capitalized on. The winger intercepted Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to the Swedish striker, who directed it towards Mariona Caldentey on the edge of the box. The mercurial midfielder took a control to create space from Tanikawa before driving past the goalkeeper.

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 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 Klara Bühl before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Total Comeback

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the home team sensing they could get a result from the game. Harder produced, floating a looping ball in from the penalty box to level. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted it all, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Icelandic defender turning in at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a poor finish that let down Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a big job ahead.