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The London side required a strong display and positive outcome against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their Champions League defence into difficult waters.

Contrasting Outcomes from Last Season

Last season, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game made up for their opening 5-2 loss to the German opponents and ignited their phenomenal run to the final. It marked a turning point in their season, showing a mental toughness that carried them to a European triumph. Their collapse here demonstrated they are still searching for the spirit that ensured success in May.

Fan Support in Germany

Over four hundred Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many gathering at the city's famous beer hall before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were shoved into a section of the middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, battling against the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the stands below.

Learning from Previous Performance

Daphne van Domselaar had stated her team had "showed everything we had" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the result against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating receiving much criticism of those disappointments.

The goal, 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 repetition of that slow start.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They started aggressively. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and caused problems for the Bayern full-back Franziska Kett and the midfielder Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure proved effective.

It was the forward's attempt that gave Arsenal the advantage in the early stages, the England forward's shot unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in.

Extending the Advantage

Arsenal's next score arrived midway through the half. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been dangerous and was capitalized on. Mead intercepted the defender's wayward ball and passed to Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a control to create space from Tanikawa before driving past the goalkeeper.

After Break Turnaround

The energy lessened a little in the second half. José Barcala turned to his bench to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent arrived soon after. The last of these would cause problems first, sprinting forward and collecting from German winger before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Total Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the hosts believing they could take something from the game. The substitute produced, floating a cross 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 advantage, Icelandic defender turning in at the front post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a poor finish that disappointed Arsenal and, with a single victory from three Champions League games, they have a big job ahead.