🔗 Share this article Arsenal Surrender Two-Goal Lead in Champions League Loss to Bayern Munich Arsenal needed a strong performance and positive result against a European powerhouse, but the team relinquished their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich with little resistance, plunging their Champions League defence into tricky waters. Different Outcomes from Previous Campaign In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their final group game made up for their heavy defeat to the German opponents and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the final. It marked a pivotal moment in their season, showing a resilience that carried them to a European triumph. Their collapse here demonstrated they are yet to recapture the spirit that led to victory in May. Fan Support in Germany More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many filing into the city's famous beer hall before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were placed in a corner of the middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still created an atmosphere, competing with the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that made their presence felt in the lower tier. Building on Previous Performance Daphne van Domselaar had stated her team had "showed everything we had" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "deeply disappointed" by the outcome against the league leaders, with controversial officiating bearing the brunt of those frustrations. The goal, 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 repetition of that slow start. Fast Beginning for Visitors They started aggressively. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and created difficulties 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 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, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to nod the ball back over the keeper and in. Doubling the Lead Arsenal's next score arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been dangerous and was exploited. The winger 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 mercurial midfielder took a touch to alleviate pressure from the defender before lashing past Grohs. After Break Turnaround The energy dropped a little in the second half. The Bayern coach made substitutions to try to bring his side into the game: the ex-London striker Danish international, whose three goals in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The last of these would make Arsenal sweat first, sprinting forward and collecting from German winger before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper. Total Turnaround It was Bayern in the driving seat after the deficit was reduced, the home team sensing they could get a result from the game. Harder produced, clipping a looping ball in from the edge of the area to level. 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 let down Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a big job ahead.