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The London side needed a strong performance and positive result against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Different Fortunes from Last Season

In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from a goal behind 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 final. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, showing a mental toughness that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here showed they are yet to recapture the fighting spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters in Germany

More than 400 Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many gathering at the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were shoved into a corner of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still made their voices heard, competing with the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that made their presence felt in the lower tier.

Learning from Previous Performance

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 league leaders, 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 started slowly against Chelsea. In Munich they stuck to the plan and there was no repetition of that slow start.

Fast Beginning for Arsenal

They opened on the front foot. The England forward was particularly energetic and caused problems for the Bayern defender their left-back and the midfielder Momoko Tanikawa 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, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the keeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's next score arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been risky and was exploited. The winger cut out Stine Ballisager's stray pass and passed to Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the edge of the box. The talented playmaker took a control to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa before driving past Grohs.

After Break Collapse

The energy dropped a little in the final period. José Barcala turned to his bench to try to get his team back into the game: the ex-London striker Danish international, whose three goals in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The last of these would make Arsenal sweat first, flying away on the break and receiving from German winger before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Complete Turnaround

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the deficit was reduced, the home team sensing they could get a result from the game. Harder delivered, clipping a cross in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted it all, and shortly after they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the front post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a sluggish end that disappointed Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a major challenge ahead.