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The London side required a impressive performance and positive outcome against a continental giant, but the team surrendered their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their European campaign into tricky waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Last Season

Last season, a inspiring fightback 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 championship match. It marked a turning point in their season, showing a resilience that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here demonstrated they are yet to recapture the spirit that led to victory in May.

Travelling Supporters 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 placed in a section of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still made their voices heard, battling against the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Learning from Previous Performance

Daphne van Domselaar had stated her team had "given their all" in their hard-fought tie with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the result against the league leaders, with questionable refereeing decisions receiving much criticism of those disappointments.

The goal, though, was to channel the momentum of that strong performance after halftime to Germany with them. Arsenal had started slowly 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 central player Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure reaped its rewards.

It was Mead's effort that gave Arsenal the advantage in the early stages, the England forward's shot unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was there to head it back over the goalkeeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's second goal arrived midway through the half. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been risky and was capitalized on. Mead intercepted the defender's wayward ball and passed to the Swedish striker, who directed it towards the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the box. The talented playmaker took a control to create space from the defender before driving past the goalkeeper.

After Break Collapse

The energy lessened 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 hat-trick in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent arrived soon after. The final substitute would cause problems first, sprinting forward and collecting from German winger before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Complete Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the deficit was reduced, the home team believing they could take something from the game. The substitute produced, floating a looping ball in from the penalty box to level. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted it all, and shortly after they had the lead, Icelandic defender scoring at the near 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 big job ahead.