🔗 Share this article The Gunners Surrender Two-Goal Advantage in Champions League Loss to German Giants The London side required a impressive performance and favorable outcome against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their two-goal lead and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their European campaign into tricky waters. Different Outcomes from Previous Campaign Last season, a inspiring fightback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their heavy defeat to the German opponents and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the championship match. It represented a pivotal moment in their season, demonstrating a mental toughness that propelled them to a European triumph. Their collapse here demonstrated they are yet to recapture the spirit that ensured success in May. Travelling Supporters in Munich Over four hundred Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many filing into 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, competing with the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier. Building on Previous Performance Daphne van Domselaar had said her team had "showed everything we had" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the outcome against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating bearing the brunt 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 repetition of that sluggish beginning. Strong Start for Visitors They opened on the front foot. The England forward was especially lively and created difficulties for the Bayern defender Franziska Kett and the central player Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure reaped its rewards. It was the forward's attempt that ensured Arsenal took the lead in the early stages, the striker's effort strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. The midfielder was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in. Doubling the Advantage Arsenal's next score arrived midway through the half. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been risky and was capitalized on. Mead intercepted the defender's wayward ball and passed to Stina Blackstenius, who directed it towards the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the box. The talented playmaker took a touch to create space from the defender before lashing past the goalkeeper. Second Half Collapse The energy dropped a little in the final period. The Bayern coach made substitutions to try to get his team back into the game: the ex-London striker Pernille Harder, whose three goals in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Italian midfielder and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The last of these would cause problems first, flying away on the break and collecting 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 home team sensing they could take something from the game. The substitute produced, clipping a looping ball in from the edge of the area to equalize. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted it all, and six minutes later they had the lead, Icelandic defender 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 big job ahead.