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The London side required a impressive performance and positive outcome against a continental giant, but the team surrendered their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich with little resistance, casting their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Last Season

Last season, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their heavy defeat to the Bavarian side and ignited their phenomenal run to the championship match. It represented a pivotal moment in their season, showing 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 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, competing with the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the stands below.

Learning from Previous Performance

The Arsenal goalkeeper had said her team had "showed everything we had" in their 1-1 draw 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 aim, though, was to take the energy 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 repetition of that slow start.

Fast Beginning for Arsenal

They started aggressively. The England forward was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern full-back their left-back and the midfielder Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure reaped its rewards.

It was the forward's attempt that gave Arsenal the advantage in the fifth minute, the England forward's shot strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. The midfielder was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in.

Extending the Advantage

Arsenal's second goal arrived midway through the half. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been dangerous and was capitalized on. Mead cut out the defender's wayward ball and passed to the Swedish striker, who directed it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The talented playmaker took a control to alleviate pressure from the defender before lashing past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Turnaround

The intensity lessened a little in the final period. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to bring his side into the game: the ex-London striker Pernille Harder, whose three goals in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Italian midfielder and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The last of these would cause problems first, flying away on the break and receiving from Klara Bühl before directing the ball past Van Domselaar.

Total Comeback

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the home team believing they could get a result from the game. The substitute delivered, clipping a looping ball in from the edge of the area 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 turning in at the near post from Bühl's cross. This time it was a sluggish end that let down Arsenal and, with a single victory from three Champions League games, they have a big job ahead.