Arsenal take ‘big hit†as Viggósdóttir caps WCL comeback for Bayern late on | Women’s Champions League

Arsenal needed a performance and a result against a European powerhouse, their form in the Womenâ€s Super League letting them down, but Renée Slegersâ€s side collapsed, relinquishing a 2-0 advantage and all three points to Bayern Munich far too easily to plunge their Champions League defence into tricky waters.

Slegers called the defeat a “big hitâ€. The head coach said: “Weâ€re not happy, itâ€s not good enough, we canâ€t concede three goals so late in a game against Bayern when we have a 2-0 lead.â€

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Barça march on but Atlético’s Medina taken to hospital

Barcelona remained top of the Womenâ€s Champions League standings after beating Leuven 3-0.

Barça extended their winning start to the league phase to three matches, having scored 14 times and conceded just once, but they endured a frustrating first half against their Belgian opponents at Estadi Johan Cruyff.

The hosts eventually found the breakthrough on the stroke of half-time when Alexia Putellas, pictured, slotted home from the penalty spot.

A Kim Everaerts own goal extended their lead in the 56th minute before Irene Paredes nodded home from Mapi Leonâ€s corner.

Barça are top of the standings on goal difference from both Lyon and Manchester United, the only other two teams with a 100% record.

Juventus returned to winning ways in the competition after coming from behind to beat Atlético Madrid 2-1.

Looking to bounce back from defeat to Bayern Munich last time out, Juve fell behind in the 39th minute when Amaiur Sarriegi fired home for Atlético.

However, Emma Stolen Godo responded in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time before Barbara Bonansea scored what proved to be the winner 11 minutes into the second period.

The game was marred, however, by Andrea Medina’s head injury. The Atlético defender was treated on the pitch for more than five minutes after staying down following a sliding tackle in the 73rd minute. She was put in the recovery position by the assistant referee before being taken off on a stretcher.

“Andrea Medina was replaced after suffering a traumatic brain injury,†read a statement from Atlético.

“The footballer is doing well but has been transferred to a hospital center to undergo additional tests.â€

Twente and Benficaâ€s wait for a first Champions League win continues after they settled for a 1-1 draw. Cristina Martin-Prieto opened the scoring in the 62nd minute, but Lynn Groenewegen replied for the Dutch side just seven minutes later. PA Media and agencies

Photograph: Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images Europe

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Last season, a battling comeback from 2-1 down to a 3-2 victory against Bayern in their final group game avenged their opening 5-2 defeat by the Bavarian side and kickstarted a 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 meltdown 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 cityâ€s famous beer hall, before the game for their pre-match meet-up, ready to try to outdo the 15,000-strong home crowd.

Daphne van Domselaar, the Arsenal goalkeeper, had said her team had “showed everything we had†in their frustrating 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday.

The aim, though, was to take the energy of that impressive second-half display to Germany with them. In Munich they stuck to the plan and there was no repeat of that sluggish beginning.

Mariona Caldentey scores Arsenalâ€s second goal. Photograph: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

They opened on the front foot. Beth Mead was particularly energetic and caused the Bayern full-back Franziska Kett and the midfielder Momoko Tanikawa problems on the right as Arsenalâ€s high and aggressive pressing reaped its rewards.

It was Meadâ€s effort that ensured Arsenal took the lead in the fifth minute, the England forwardâ€s shot strangely pushed away, rather than held, by the Bayern goalkeeper, Maria Luisa Grohs. Emily Fox was there to nod the ball back over the keeper and in.

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Arsenalâ€s second goal arrived midway through the half. Bayernâ€s determination to play out from the back had been risky and was exploited. Mead intercepted Stine Ballisagerâ€s stray pass and laid off the ball to Stina Blackstenius, who poked it towards Mariona Caldentey on the edge of the box. The mercurial midfielder took a touch to alleviate pressure from Tanikawa and lashed past Grohs.

The energy inexplicably lessened in the second half. Arsenal took their foot off the gas, their first-half domination lulling them into a state of complacency.

José Barcala turned to his bench to try to get his team back into the game: the former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder, whose hat‑trick in October 2024 took the game from 2-2 to 5-2, came on and Arianna Caruso and Alara Sehitler arrived soon after. The latter made Arsenal sweat first, flying away on the break and collecting from Klara Bühl before guiding the ball past Van Domselaar.

Glódis Viggósdóttir fires past Daphne van Domselaar in the Arsenal goal. Photograph: Jasmin Walter/Uefa/Getty Images

It was Bayern in the ascendancy and after the deficit was reduced they turned up the pressure on the visitors, sensing they could take something from the game. Predictably, Harder delivered, clipping a looping ball in from the edge of the area to level.

They didnâ€t just want to take something, though: they wanted it all, and six minutes later they had the lead, Glódis Viggósdóttir turning in at the near post from Bühlâ€s cross.

“We dominated the first half, the second half was Bayernâ€s,†Slegers said. “What they start to do, especially after their first goal, they start to play in behind and they start to play a long-ball, second-ball game and they stack numbers high, and we donâ€t deal with it well enough.â€

One win from three Champions League games means Arsenalâ€s chances of making the top four and earning a quarter-final place automatically are slim and a spot in the February playoffs might also be at risk.

“We need to use these games as fuel,†Slegers said. “We know we need points in the Champions League, so this was a big hit. We have to get back, we will get back.â€

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