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The London side required a impressive display and favorable outcome against a continental giant, but the team surrendered their 2-0 advantage and all three points to Bayern Munich with little resistance, casting their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Contrasting Outcomes from Last Season

In the previous campaign, a inspiring fightback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the final. It represented a turning point in their season, showing a resilience that propelled them to a European triumph. Their collapse here showed they are still searching for the fighting 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 created an atmosphere, competing with the impressive home crowd 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 hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the result against the WSL champions, 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 started slowly against Chelsea. In Munich they stuck to the plan and there was no repetition of that slow start.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They started aggressively. The England forward was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern full-back Franziska Kett and the midfielder 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 early stages, the striker's effort unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. The midfielder was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Lead

Arsenal's second goal arrived midway through the half. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been dangerous and was exploited. Mead intercepted the defender's wayward ball and laid off to Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the edge of the box. The mercurial midfielder took a control to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa before driving past Grohs.

After Break Turnaround

The intensity lessened a little in the final period. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to bring his side into the game: the ex-London striker Pernille Harder, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent followed shortly. 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 sensing they could take something from the game. Harder delivered, clipping a looping ball in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted it all, and shortly after they had the lead, Icelandic defender turning in at the front post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a poor finish that let down Arsenal and, with one win from three Champions League games, they have a big job ahead.