🔗 Share this article The Gunners Let Slip Two-Goal Lead in Champions League Loss to German Giants The London side required a strong performance and favorable result against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their 2-0 advantage and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their European campaign into tricky waters. Contrasting Outcomes from Last Season In the previous campaign, 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 kickstarted their remarkable journey to the final. It marked a turning point in their season, showing a resilience that propelled them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here showed they are still searching for the spirit that led to victory in May. Fan Support in Germany More than 400 Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many filing into 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 created an atmosphere, competing with the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier. Learning from Previous Performance The Arsenal goalkeeper had said 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 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 sluggish beginning. Strong Start for Arsenal They started aggressively. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the midfielder 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 fifth minute, the England forward's shot unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in. Extending the Lead Arsenal's second goal arrived midway through the half. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been dangerous and was capitalized on. Mead intercepted Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to Stina Blackstenius, who directed it towards the Spanish midfielder on the penalty area. The talented playmaker took a control to alleviate pressure from the defender before lashing past Grohs. After Break Turnaround The intensity lessened a little in the final period. José Barcala 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, entered and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler followed shortly. The final substitute would cause problems first, flying away on the break and receiving from Klara Bühl before guiding the ball past the Arsenal keeper. Total Comeback It was Bayern in the driving seat after the deficit was reduced, the hosts sensing they could take something from the game. Harder delivered, floating a looping ball in from the edge of the area to equalize. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the near post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a poor finish that let down Arsenal and, with one win from three Champions League games, they have a big job ahead.