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The London side required a strong performance and favorable result against a continental giant, but the team relinquished their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Different Outcomes from Last Season

Last season, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the final. It represented a pivotal moment in their season, showing a resilience that carried them to a European triumph. Their collapse here showed they are still searching for the fighting spirit that ensured success in May.

Fan Support in Germany

Over four hundred 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 made their voices heard, battling against the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that made their presence felt in the stands below.

Building on Recent Form

Daphne van Domselaar 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 league leaders, with questionable refereeing decisions receiving much criticism of those frustrations.

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 stuck to the plan and there was no repetition of that sluggish beginning.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They started aggressively. The England forward was especially lively and created difficulties for the Bayern defender their left-back and the midfielder Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing reaped its rewards.

It was Mead's effort that gave Arsenal the advantage in the early stages, the striker's effort unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to head it back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling 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 the defender's wayward ball and laid off to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a control to create space from the defender before driving past Grohs.

After Break Turnaround

The intensity lessened 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 Danish international, whose three goals in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Arianna Caruso and Turkish talent followed shortly. The final substitute would cause problems first, flying away on the break and receiving from Klara Bühl before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete Comeback

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the hosts believing they could take something from the game. Harder delivered, floating a looping ball in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted it all, and shortly after 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 one win from their European matches, they have a big job ahead.