🔗 Share this article The Gunners Surrender 2-0 Lead in European Defeat to Bayern Munich The London side needed a strong performance and positive outcome against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their 2-0 advantage and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their Champions League defence into difficult waters. Different Fortunes from Last Season Last season, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game avenged their heavy defeat to the German opponents and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the final. It represented a turning point in their season, demonstrating a resilience that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here showed they are yet to recapture the fighting spirit that ensured success in May. Travelling Supporters in Munich More than 400 Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many gathering at the city's famous beer hall before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were placed in a section 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. Learning from 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 "devastated" by the outcome against the WSL champions, with controversial officiating receiving much criticism of those frustrations. The goal, though, was to channel the momentum 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 Visitors They started aggressively. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern full-back Franziska Kett and the central player Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure reaped its rewards. It was Mead's effort that gave Arsenal the advantage in the early stages, the England forward's shot unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. The midfielder was there to nod the ball back over the goalkeeper and in. Doubling the Advantage Arsenal's second goal arrived midway through the half. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been risky and was capitalized on. Mead cut out Stine Ballisager's stray pass and passed to Stina Blackstenius, who directed it towards Mariona Caldentey on the edge of the box. The talented playmaker took a control to alleviate pressure from the defender before driving past Grohs. Second Half Collapse The intensity lessened a little in the second half. The Bayern coach made substitutions to try to bring his side into the game: the former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Italian midfielder and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The final substitute would cause problems first, flying away on the break and collecting from German winger before directing the ball past Van Domselaar. Complete Turnaround It was Bayern in the driving seat after the deficit was reduced, the hosts believing they could take something from the game. The substitute produced, clipping a cross in from the edge of the area to equalize. They did not just want to draw, though: they wanted it all, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Icelandic defender scoring at the front post from Bühl's cross. 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.