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The London side required a strong display and favorable result against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich with little resistance, casting their European campaign into difficult waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Previous Campaign

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 German opponents and ignited their remarkable journey to the final. It represented a pivotal moment in their season, demonstrating a resilience that carried them to a European triumph. Their collapse here showed they are still searching for the fighting spirit that ensured success in May.

Fan Support in Germany

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 section of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still made their voices heard, competing with the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that made their presence felt in the stands below.

Building on Recent Form

Daphne van Domselaar had said her team had "showed everything we had" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the outcome against the league leaders, with questionable refereeing decisions bearing the brunt of those frustrations.

The goal, 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 stuck to the plan and there was no repeat of that slow start.

Fast Beginning for Arsenal

They started aggressively. The England forward was particularly energetic and caused problems for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett 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 gave Arsenal the advantage in the early stages, the striker's effort strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's next score arrived midway through the half. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been dangerous and was capitalized on. Mead cut out the defender's wayward ball and passed to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the box. The talented playmaker took a control to create space from the defender before lashing past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Collapse

The intensity dropped a little in the second half. José Barcala made substitutions to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Italian midfielder and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The final substitute would make Arsenal sweat first, sprinting forward and collecting from Klara Bühl before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Total Turnaround

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the hosts believing they could take something from the game. The substitute delivered, clipping a cross in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted it all, and shortly after they had the lead, Icelandic defender scoring at the front post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a poor finish that disappointed Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a big job ahead.