The heartbreak took place in Munich as Arsenal Women squander lead in dramatic WCL upset. Arsenal Women had lost a 2-3 game to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage. A match that exemplified the heartbreak and merciless extremes of professional female football. What had been an emphatic performance at the Allianz Arena, turned into a nightmare. The Gunners relinquished a 2-0 halftime lead in a second half disintegration that leaves their progression hopes hanging on a thread.
Bayern’s Relentless Comeback
Other ideas came to the scriptwriters of football. Bayern, who have been feeling the pain of their men on the other side of the fortunes in the Premier League as of late, exploded after the break. At the 48th minute Captain Giulia Gwinn reduced the score by half as a result of a thunderous free-kick that hit the underside of the bar. Sydney Lohmann made it equal 4 minutes later, getting to a rare Rebecca Georgi mistake at the back.
The fatal strike was made in the 72nd minute. The quick response revealed the vulnerable sides of Arsenal to attack. However, a young prodigy, Klara Buhl, scored without any obstruction. Replacements by Eidevall, with Alessia Russo and Lotte Wubben-Moy, went down like creating an urgency, but not salvation. Despairing last-minute shots brought nothing and the whistle is a confirmation of the renewal of Bayern.
Lessons from the Loss
This defeat is the first that Arsenal had in Europe in this season. It reveals the same weaknesses, lapses in defense during pressure and inability to control the tempo of the game. Fox and Caldentey were on form, yet there is a question mark over the control in the middle of the field, and also the absence of Kim Little is being missed badly. In his post-match words, Eidevall was philosophical: we gave them momentum. Learn, adapt, conquer.”
Group B has become razor-tooth thin, with Arsenal trailing only by four points–any subsequent game in November 26, at Emirates, looms large. The redemption is in sight but only when the Gunners get back their first-half fire. This Munich mauling is a wake-up call to Arsenal in a league where the margins are microscopic.
As featured on GoonerNews.com
