Arsenal’s stuttering defense of the Champions League crown continued as Bayern Munich came from two goals down to claim a 3-2 victory at the Allianz Arena.
Bayern trailed by two goals at halftime, but super substitutes Alara Sehitler and Pernille Harder brought them back level before Glodis Viggosdottir scored the winner in the 86th minute.
The Gunners looked at ease early on and needed just five minutes to change the score when Beth Mead’s parried shot from close range was headed home by Emily Fox.
Mariona Caldentey doubled the lead with a fine strike into the top right corner, capitalizing on Stine Ballisager’s mistake as he tried to play from behind in the 23rd minute.
Stina Blackstenius came close to putting Bayern out of reach three minutes later, but she was able to steer Katie McCabe’s throw from the left narrowly wide.
Jose Barcala’s side improved after the break, but initially failed to test Daphne van Domselaar, although Alessia Russo’s effort 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 completed a free-flowing move with a simple tap-in five minutes after coming on.
That moment sparked an unlikely comeback, with Harder restoring parity with a sensational finish that was beyond Van Domselaar’s reach ten minutes from time.
More late drama was to follow, however, as Bayern captain Viggosdottir completed the turnaround as she finished Klara Buhl’s delivery, which was her third assist of the match.
Data debrief: Bayern shows 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 performance will be one she will want to put in the back of her mind after being on cruise control during the break.
The Gunners finished the opening period with an expected goals total (xG) of 0.77 from their nine attempts, limiting Bayern to 0.06 xG from their two shots, but in the second half they could only improve their total to one (from 15 shots), while the hosts improved to 1.29.
Bayern remained undefeated at home in the group stage of the Champions League (W11 D3). No team has staged more group matches without losing at least once, and they had Buhl to thank for their turnaround.
The Bayern forward finished the match with three assists, along with team-high totals for chances created (six), crosses (four) and dribbles (three), while only Momoko Tanikawa (18) completed more passes in the final third than Buhl’s 17.
#Bayern #Munich #Arsenal #Holders #stunned #secondhalf #turnaround #Soccer #News