Bayern Munich 3-2 Arsenal: Holders stunned by second-half turnaround

Arsenal’s stuttering defence of their Champions League crown continued as Bayern Munich came from two goals down to register a 3-2 victory at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern trailed by two goals at the break, but super subs Alara Sehitler and Pernille Harder got them back on level terms before Glodis Viggosdottir struck an 86th-minute winner.

The Gunners had looked comfortable early on and took just five minutes to alter the scoreline when Beth Mead’s parried shot was headed home by Emily Fox from close range.

Mariona Caldentey doubled their lead with a fine strike into the top-right corner, capitalising on Stine Ballisager’s error when trying to play out from the back in the 23rd minute.

Stina Blackstenius then came close to putting the game out of Bayern’s reach three minutes later, but she could only steer Katie McCabe’s delivery from the left narrowly wide.

Jose Barcala’s side did improve after the break but initially failed to test Daphne van Domselaar, though Alessia Russo’s attempt from distance kept Maria Luisa Grohs on her toes at the other end.

But Bayern reduced the deficit in the 67th minute through Sehitler, who rounded off a free-flowing move with a simple tap-in five minutes after coming on.

That moment sparked an improbable comeback, with Harder restoring parity with a sensational finish beyond the grasp of Van Domselaar 10 minutes from time.

There was to be more late drama, though, with Bayern captain Viggosdottir completing the turnaround when she finished from Klara Buhl’s delivery, which was her third assist of the match.

Data Debrief: Bayern show resilience to maintain home run

Ahead of kick-off, Renee Slegers expressed her excitement about renewing Arsenal’s Champions League rivalry with Bayern, but Wednesday’s showing will be a performance she will want to put to the back of her mind, having been in cruise control at the break.

The Gunners finished the opening period with an expected goals (xG) total of 0.77 from their nine attempts, restricting Bayern to 0.06 xG from their two shots, but in the second half, they could only improve their tally to one (from 15 shots), while the hosts improved to 1.29.

Indeed, Bayern remained unbeaten at home in the group stage of the Champions League (W11 D3). No side has hosted more group games without losing at least once, and they had Buhl to thank for their turnaround.

The Bayern attacker ended the game with three assists, along with team-high totals for chances created (six), crosses (four) and dribbles (three), while only Momoko Tanikawa (18) played more passes in the final third than Buhl’s 17.