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The London side needed a strong performance and favorable outcome against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their European campaign into difficult waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Last Season

Last season, a inspiring fightback from a goal behind to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their final group game made up for their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and ignited their remarkable journey to the championship match. It marked a turning point in their season, showing a resilience that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here showed they are yet to recapture the spirit that ensured success in May.

Travelling Supporters in Germany

More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many filing into the Hofbräuhaus 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 made their voices heard, battling against the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that made their presence felt in the lower tier.

Learning from Recent Form

The Arsenal goalkeeper had said her team had "showed everything we had" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the result against the league leaders, 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 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. The England forward was particularly energetic and caused problems for the Bayern full-back their left-back and the central player Momoko Tanikawa 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 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 goalkeeper and in.

Extending 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. The winger intercepted Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the edge of the box. The talented playmaker took a control to create space from Tanikawa before driving past Grohs.

Second Half Turnaround

The energy dropped a little in the second half. José Barcala made substitutions to try to bring his side into the game: the ex-London striker Danish international, whose three goals in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent followed shortly. The final substitute would cause problems first, sprinting forward and collecting from Klara Bühl before guiding the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Complete Turnaround

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the hosts sensing they could take something from the game. Harder produced, 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 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 disappointed Arsenal and, with a single victory from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.