Arsenal needed a performance and a result against a European powerhouse, their form in theWomen’s Super League letting them down, but Renée Slegers’s side relinquished their 2-0 advantage and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily, plunging their Champions League defence into tricky waters.
Last season, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a 3-2 victory over Bayern in their final group game avenged their opening 5-2 loss to the Bavarian side and kickstarted their phenomenal run to the final. It marked a turning point in their season, demonstrating a mental toughness that carried them to a second Champions League title. Their collapse here showed they are yet to recapture the spirit that ensured success in May.
More than 400 Arsenal fans had made the trip to Munich, many filing into Hofbräuhaus, 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, battling against the impressive home crowd of over 15,000 that brought the noise in the lower tier.
Daphne van Domselaar, the Arsenal goalkeeper, had said her team had “showed everything we had” in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday. They were “devastated” with the result, questionable refereeing decisions bearing the brunt of those frustrations.
