🔗 Share this article

Arsenal required 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 difficult waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match made up for their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and ignited their remarkable journey to the final. It marked a turning point in their season, demonstrating a resilience that carried them to a European triumph. Their collapse here demonstrated they are yet to recapture the spirit that led to victory in May.

Fan Support in Germany

More than 400 Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many gathering at the city's famous beer hall before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were shoved into a section of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, 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 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the result against the league leaders, 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 repetition of that sluggish beginning.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They opened on the front foot. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern defender their left-back and the central player Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure proved effective.

It was Mead's effort that ensured Arsenal took the lead in the early stages, the striker's effort unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. The midfielder was there to nod the ball back over the keeper and in.

Doubling the Lead

Arsenal's next score arrived midway through the half. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been dangerous and was capitalized on. Mead intercepted Stine Ballisager's stray pass and passed to the Swedish striker, who directed it towards Mariona Caldentey on the edge of the box. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to create space from Tanikawa before lashing past Grohs.

After Break Collapse

The energy dropped a little in the final period. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent arrived soon after. The last of these would make Arsenal sweat first, sprinting forward and receiving from German winger before directing the ball past Van Domselaar.

Total Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the deficit was reduced, the hosts believing they could get a result from the game. Harder delivered, clipping a looping ball in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the front post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a sluggish end that let down Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.