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Arsenal required a impressive display and favorable outcome against a European powerhouse, but the team relinquished their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their European campaign into tricky waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Previous Campaign

Last season, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their last group stage match made up for their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and ignited their phenomenal run to the final. It represented a turning point in their season, showing a mental toughness that carried them to a European triumph. Their breakdown here demonstrated they are yet to recapture the fighting spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters in Germany

More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many gathering at the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were shoved into a corner of the middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, battling against 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 "given their all" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the result against the WSL champions, with questionable refereeing decisions receiving much criticism of those frustrations.

The aim, though, was to channel the momentum 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 repeat of that sluggish beginning.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They started aggressively. The England forward was particularly energetic and caused problems for the Bayern defender their left-back and the midfielder Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing proved effective.

It was Mead's effort that ensured Arsenal took the lead in the fifth minute, the England forward's shot unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the keeper and in.

Extending the Advantage

Arsenal's second goal arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been dangerous and was exploited. Mead cut out the defender's wayward ball and laid off to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a control to create space from the defender before lashing past Grohs.

Second Half Collapse

The energy dropped a little in the final period. José Barcala turned to his bench to try to bring his side into the game: the former Chelsea forward Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent arrived soon after. The last of these would cause problems first, sprinting forward and receiving from German winger before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Complete Comeback

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the home team sensing they could get a result from the game. The substitute produced, clipping a cross in from the edge of the area to equalize. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the near post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a poor finish that disappointed Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.