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Arsenal needed a strong display and favorable outcome against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their European campaign into tricky waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Last Season

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their last group stage match made up for their heavy defeat to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the championship match. It marked a turning point in their season, demonstrating a resilience that propelled them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here demonstrated they are still searching for the fighting spirit that ensured success in May.

Fan Support in Munich

Over four hundred Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many filing into 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 made their voices heard, competing with the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

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 "deeply disappointed" by the result against the WSL champions, with questionable refereeing decisions bearing the brunt of those frustrations.

The aim, 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 executed their strategy and there was no repeat of that slow start.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They started aggressively. Beth Mead 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 early stages, the England forward's shot strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. The midfielder was there to head it back over the goalkeeper and in.

Extending the Advantage

Arsenal's next score arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been dangerous and was capitalized on. Mead intercepted the defender's wayward ball and laid off to the Swedish striker, who directed it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a control to create space from the defender before driving past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Turnaround

The intensity lessened 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 three goals in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent arrived soon after. The final substitute would make Arsenal sweat first, sprinting forward and receiving from Klara Bühl before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Total Turnaround

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the home team believing they could take something from the game. Harder delivered, floating a looping ball in from the penalty box to equalize. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted it all, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Icelandic defender scoring at the near post from the winger's delivery. 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.