🔗 Share this article The Gunners Surrender 2-0 Lead in European Defeat to German Giants The London side needed a strong performance and favorable result against a continental giant, but Renée Slegers’s side surrendered their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their European campaign into tricky waters. Different Outcomes from Previous Campaign Last season, a battling comeback from a goal behind to a narrow win over Bayern in their last group stage match avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the championship match. It represented a pivotal moment in their season, demonstrating a resilience that propelled them to a second Champions League title. Their breakdown here showed they are yet to recapture the spirit that ensured success 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 traditional gathering. They were placed in a section of the middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still made their voices heard, competing with the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that made their presence felt in the lower tier. Learning from Previous Performance The Arsenal goalkeeper had said her team had "given their all" in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were "devastated" by the result against the league leaders, with controversial officiating receiving much criticism of those frustrations. The aim, though, was to channel the momentum of that impressive second-half display 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 Arsenal They started aggressively. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and caused problems for the Bayern full-back their left-back and the midfielder Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing proved effective. It was the forward's attempt that gave Arsenal the advantage in the early stages, the England forward's shot unusually parried by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. Fox was there to head it back over the goalkeeper and in. Extending the Lead Arsenal's second goal arrived midway through the half. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been risky and was capitalized on. Mead cut out the defender's wayward ball and passed to the Swedish striker, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the penalty area. The mercurial midfielder took a control to create space from the defender before driving past the goalkeeper. Second Half Collapse The energy dropped a little in the final period. The Bayern coach 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, came on and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent followed shortly. The last of these would make Arsenal sweat first, flying away on the break and collecting from Klara Bühl before directing the ball past the Arsenal keeper. Complete Turnaround It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the hosts sensing they could take something from the game. Harder produced, clipping 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 shortly after they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir scoring at the front post from the winger's delivery. This time it was a poor finish that disappointed Arsenal and, with a single victory from their European matches, they have a big job ahead.