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The London side required a strong display and positive result against a continental giant, but the team surrendered their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their European campaign into difficult waters.

Different Outcomes from Previous Campaign

Last season, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the championship match. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, showing a mental toughness that propelled them to a European triumph. Their collapse here demonstrated they are still searching for the spirit that led to victory in May.

Fan Support in Munich

More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled 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 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 Previous Performance

The Arsenal goalkeeper had stated her team had "showed everything we had" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the result against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating 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 repeat of that slow start.

Fast Beginning for Visitors

They started aggressively. The England forward was particularly energetic and caused problems for the Bayern defender their left-back and the central player 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 early stages, the England forward's shot strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the keeper and in.

Extending 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 laid off to Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the edge of the box. The talented playmaker took a control to create space from the defender before driving past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Turnaround

The intensity 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 ex-London striker Pernille Harder, whose three goals in October 2024 turned the match from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent arrived soon after. The last of these would make Arsenal sweat first, flying away on the break and receiving from Klara Bühl before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Complete Comeback

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the home team sensing they could get a result from the game. The substitute delivered, floating a looping ball in from the penalty box to equalize. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted everything, and shortly after they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the near post from Bühl's cross. 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.