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The London side needed a strong display and positive result against a European powerhouse, but the team surrendered their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their European campaign into difficult waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a inspiring fightback from 2-1 down to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the German opponents and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the final. It represented a turning point in their season, demonstrating a mental toughness that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here showed they are yet to recapture the fighting spirit that ensured success in May.

Fan Support in Germany

Over four hundred 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 corner of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, competing with the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Building on Recent Form

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

The goal, though, was to channel the momentum of that impressive second-half display to Germany with them. Arsenal had started slowly against Chelsea. In Munich they executed their strategy and there was no repeat of that slow start.

Fast Beginning for Arsenal

They started aggressively. The England forward was especially lively and created difficulties for the Bayern full-back their left-back and the central player 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 strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in.

Extending the Lead

Arsenal's second goal arrived midway through the half. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been risky and was capitalized on. Mead cut out Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The talented playmaker took a touch to create space from the defender before lashing past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Turnaround

The intensity dropped a little in the second half. The Bayern coach made substitutions to try to bring his side into the game: the former Chelsea forward Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent followed shortly. The final substitute would make Arsenal sweat first, sprinting forward and collecting from Klara Bühl before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Total Comeback

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the hosts sensing they could take something from the game. The substitute delivered, clipping a looping ball in from the penalty box to equalize. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted it all, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the near post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a sluggish end that let down Arsenal and, with one win from three Champions League games, they have a major challenge ahead.