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The London side needed a impressive performance and favorable result against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their European campaign into difficult waters.

Different Fortunes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game avenged their heavy defeat to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the championship match. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, demonstrating a resilience that carried them to a European triumph. Their breakdown here showed they are still searching for the fighting spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters in Munich

Over four hundred 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 middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still made their voices heard, battling against the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Learning from Previous Performance

The Arsenal goalkeeper had said her team had "given their all" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the outcome against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating bearing the brunt of those disappointments.

The goal, though, was to take the energy of that strong performance after halftime to Germany with them. Arsenal had begun poorly against Chelsea. In Munich they executed their strategy and there was no repeat of that sluggish beginning.

Fast Beginning for Arsenal

They opened on the front foot. The England forward was especially lively and created difficulties for the Bayern full-back their left-back and the central player Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing proved effective.

It was Mead's effort that gave Arsenal the advantage in the fifth minute, the England forward's shot unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was there to head it back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's next score arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back 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 the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the box. The mercurial midfielder took a control to create space from Tanikawa before lashing past the goalkeeper.

After Break Collapse

The intensity lessened a little in the final period. José Barcala turned to his bench to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler followed shortly. The final substitute would cause problems first, sprinting forward and receiving from Klara Bühl before directing the ball past Van Domselaar.

Total Comeback

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the deficit was reduced, the home team sensing they could take something from the game. The substitute produced, clipping a looping ball in from the penalty box to level. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted it all, and six minutes later they had the lead, Icelandic defender turning in at the front post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a sluggish end that disappointed Arsenal and, with one win from three Champions League games, they have a big job ahead.