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The London side required a impressive performance and favorable result against a continental giant, but the team relinquished their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Contrasting Outcomes from Previous Campaign

In the previous campaign, a inspiring fightback from a goal behind to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their final group game made up for their opening 5-2 loss to the German opponents and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the championship match. It marked a turning point in their season, showing a resilience that propelled them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here demonstrated they are yet to recapture the spirit that ensured success in May.

Fan Support in Munich

More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many filing into the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their traditional gathering. They were shoved into a corner of the upper level at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, battling against the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.

Learning from Recent Form

The Arsenal goalkeeper had stated her team had "showed everything we had" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the result against the league leaders, with questionable refereeing decisions 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 started slowly against Chelsea. In Munich they executed their strategy and there was no repetition of that slow start.

Strong Start for Visitors

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

It was Mead's effort that ensured Arsenal took the lead in the early stages, the England forward's shot strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. The midfielder was there to nod the ball back over the keeper and in.

Doubling the Lead

Arsenal's second goal arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been dangerous and was exploited. Mead cut out Stine Ballisager's stray pass and passed to the Swedish striker, who directed it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa before lashing past Grohs.

Second Half Turnaround

The intensity lessened a little in the final period. José Barcala made substitutions to try to bring his side into the game: the former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder, whose three goals in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler followed shortly. The last of these would make Arsenal sweat first, sprinting forward and collecting from Klara Bühl before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper.

Complete Turnaround

It was Bayern in the driving seat after the gap narrowed, the hosts sensing they could get a result from the game. The substitute produced, clipping a cross 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, Icelandic defender 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 their European matches, they have a big job ahead.