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Arsenal needed a strong performance and favorable result against a continental giant, but the team relinquished their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich with little resistance, plunging their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Contrasting Fortunes from Last Season

Last season, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their final group game avenged their heavy defeat to the Bavarian side and ignited their remarkable journey to the final. It marked a turning point in their season, showing a mental toughness that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here showed they are still searching for the fighting 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 traditional gathering. 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 brought the noise in the stands below.

Learning from Recent Form

The Arsenal goalkeeper had said her team had "given their all" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the outcome against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating receiving much criticism of those frustrations.

The aim, though, was to channel the momentum 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.

Strong Start for Arsenal

They started aggressively. Beth Mead was especially lively and created difficulties for the Bayern defender their left-back and the central player Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing 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. The midfielder was there to nod the ball back over the keeper and in.

Doubling the Advantage

Arsenal's second goal arrived midway through the half. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been dangerous and was exploited. Mead cut out Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the box. The talented playmaker took a touch to create space from Tanikawa before driving past the goalkeeper.

Second Half Collapse

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 former Chelsea forward Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Italian midfielder and Alara Sehitler followed shortly. The last of these would cause problems first, flying away on the break and collecting from German winger before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Total Turnaround

It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the deficit was reduced, the hosts sensing they could take something from the game. Harder delivered, floating a cross in from the edge of the area to equalize. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and shortly after they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir turning in at the near post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a sluggish end that disappointed Arsenal and, with one win from three Champions League games, they have a big job ahead.