🔗 Share this article The Gunners Surrender 2-0 Advantage in European Defeat to Bayern Munich Arsenal required a impressive display and favorable outcome against a European powerhouse, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their two-goal lead and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their Champions League defence into tricky waters. Different Outcomes from Last Season Last season, a inspiring fightback from a goal behind to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their last group stage match made up for their opening 5-2 loss to the German opponents and kickstarted their remarkable journey to the final. It represented a turning point in their season, showing a resilience that carried them to a European triumph. Their collapse here demonstrated they are still searching for the fighting spirit that ensured success in May. Travelling Supporters in Munich More than 400 Arsenal fans had traveled to Munich, many gathering at the city's famous beer hall before the game for their pre-match meet-up. They were shoved into a section of the middle tier at the Allianz Arena, but still made their voices heard, battling against the vocal local supporters of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier. Building on Recent Form 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 result against the league leaders, with controversial officiating bearing the brunt of those disappointments. The aim, though, was to take the energy of that strong performance after halftime 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. Fast Beginning for Arsenal They opened on the front foot. The England forward was particularly energetic and created difficulties for the Bayern defender their left-back and the midfielder Momoko Tanikawa on the right as Arsenal's high and aggressive pressing proved effective. It was Mead's effort that gave Arsenal the advantage in the early stages, the England forward's shot strangely pushed away by the Bayern goalkeeper, the German shot-stopper. The midfielder was there to head it back over the keeper and in. Extending the Lead Arsenal's next score arrived in the 23rd minute. Bayern's determination to play out from the back had been risky and was exploited. Mead intercepted Stine Ballisager's stray pass and laid off to the Swedish striker, who directed 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. After Break Turnaround The energy lessened a little in the second half. The Bayern coach turned to his bench to try to get his team back into the game: the ex-London striker Danish international, whose hat-trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, entered and Italian midfielder and Turkish talent followed shortly. The last of these would cause problems first, sprinting forward and receiving from Klara Bühl before directing the ball past Van Domselaar. Total Comeback It was Bayern in the ascendancy after the gap narrowed, the home team sensing they could take something from the game. The substitute delivered, clipping a looping ball in from the edge of the area to level. They did not just want to take something, though: they wanted everything, and six minutes later they had the lead, Glodis Viggosdottir turning in at the front post from the winger's delivery. 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.