Viggosdottir Strikes Late To Cap Bayern Comeback As Arsenal Slump To Wcl Loss

Arsenal needed a capacity and a consequence against a European powerhouse, their shape successful theWomen’s Super League letting them down, but Renée Slegers’s broadside relinquished their 2-0 advantage and each 3 points to Bayern Munich acold excessively easily, plunging their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Last season, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a 3-2 triumph complete Bayern successful their last group crippled avenged their opening 5-2 nonaccomplishment to nan Bavarian side and kickstarted their phenomenal tally to nan final. It marked a turning constituent successful their season, demonstrating a intelligence toughness that carried them to a 2nd Champions League title. Their illness present showed they are yet to recapture nan tone that ensured occurrence successful May.

More than 400 Arsenal fans had made nan travel to Munich, galore filing into nan Hofbräuhaus, nan city’s celebrated brew hall, earlier nan crippled for their pre-match meet-up. They were shoved into a area of nan mediate tier astatine nan Allianz Arena, but still made their voices heard, battling against nan awesome location crowd of complete 15,000 that brought nan sound successful nan little tier.

Daphne van Domselaar, nan Arsenal goalkeeper, had said her squad had “showed everything we had” successful their 1-1 tie pinch Chelsea connected Saturday. They were “devastated” by nan consequence against nan WSL champions and leaders, questionable refereeing decisions base nan brunt of those frustrations.

The aim, though, was to return nan power of that awesome second-half show to Germany pinch them. Arsenal had started slow against Chelsea. In Munich they stuck to nan scheme and location was nary repetition of that sluggish beginning.

They opened connected nan beforehand foot. Beth Mead was peculiarly energetic and caused nan Bayern full-back Franziska Kett and nan midfielder Momoko Tanikawa problems connected nan correct arsenic Arsenal’s precocious and fierce pressing reaped its rewards.

It was Mead’s effort that ensured Arsenal took nan lead successful nan 5th minute, nan England forward’s changeable strangely pushed away, alternatively than held, by nan Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Fox was location to motion nan shot backmost complete nan keeper and in.

Arsenal’s 2nd extremity arrived midway done nan half. Bayern’s determination to play retired from nan backmost had been risky and was exploited. Mead intercepted Stine Ballisager’s stray walk and laid disconnected nan shot to Stina Blackstenius who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey connected nan separator of nan box. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to alleviate unit from Tanikawa earlier lashing past Grohs.

Viggosdottir fires past Daphne van Domselaar successful nan Arsenal goal. Photograph: Jasmin Walter/Uefa/Getty Images

The power lessened a small successful nan 2nd half. José Barcala turned to his chair to effort and get his squad backmost into nan game: nan erstwhile Chelsea guardant Pernille Harder, whose hat-trick successful October 2024 took nan crippled from 2-2 to 5-2, came connected and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The second would make Arsenal sweat first, flying distant connected nan break and collecting from Klara Bühl earlier guiding nan shot past Van Domselaar.

It was Bayern successful nan ascendancy aft nan shortage was reduced, nan hosts sensing they could return thing from nan game. Harder would deliver, clipping a looping shot successful from nan separator of nan area to level. They didn’t conscionable want to return something, though: they wanted it all, and six minutes later they had nan lead, Glodis Viggosdottir turning successful astatine nan adjacent station from Bühl’s cross. This clip it was a sluggish extremity that fto down Arsenal and, pinch 1 triumph from 3 Champions League games, they person a large occupation ahead.