🔗 Share this article Arsenal Surrender 2-0 Lead in European Loss to Bayern Munich Arsenal needed a strong display and favorable outcome against a European powerhouse, but the team relinquished their 2-0 advantage and the victory to Bayern Munich far too easily, casting their European campaign into tricky waters. Different Fortunes from Previous Campaign In the previous campaign, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a narrow win over Bayern in their final group game made up for 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 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 traveled to Munich, many filing into the Hofbräuhaus before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were shoved into a corner of the upper level 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 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 "devastated" by the result against the WSL champions, with questionable refereeing decisions bearing the brunt of those disappointments. The aim, 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 executed their strategy and there was no repetition of that slow start. Strong Start for Visitors They started aggressively. Beth Mead was especially lively and created difficulties for the Bayern full-back their left-back and the central player Japanese international on the right as Arsenal's intense pressure proved effective. 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 goalkeeper and in. Extending the Advantage Arsenal's next score arrived midway through the half. Bayern's insistence on building from defense had been risky and was capitalized on. Mead cut out the defender's wayward ball and laid off to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the box. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to alleviate pressure from the defender before driving past the goalkeeper. After Break Collapse The intensity dropped a little in the final period. José Barcala made substitutions to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Danish international, whose three goals in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent followed shortly. The final substitute would make Arsenal sweat first, flying away on the break and collecting from German winger before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar. Total Turnaround It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the hosts believing they could take something from the game. Harder delivered, floating a cross in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted it all, and six minutes later they had the advantage, Glodis Viggosdottir turning in 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 major challenge ahead.