Arsenal collapses to 3-2 loss at Bayern Munich in Women’s Champions League

Arsenal’s defense of its Women’s Champions League title is not going to plan after a second-half collapse against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

Arsenal wasted an early two-goal lead as Bayern surged back to win 3-2 at Allianz Arena, handing the visitors their second loss in three games in Europe’s elite club competition.

“It’s not good enough,” Arsenal coach Renée Slegers said. “We don’t want to concede three goals in one half in the Champions League.”

Arsenal fell to 11th in the 18-team Champions League standings led by Barcelona at the mid-point of the new format. Barcelona and Manchester United both won Wednesday to join OL Lyonnes — who won at Arsenal last month — as the only teams with three straight wins.

Barcelona cruised to a 3-0 at home over OH Leuven. The title winner in three of the the past five seasons had 43 attempts on goal compared to zero for the Belgian debutant.

Man United won 2-1 against Paris Saint-Germain, which has zero points in 16th place. The top-four teams in December enter the quarterfinals and teams placed fifth to 12th join the knockout playoffs round.

Bayern’s bounce back

Bayern has answered with back-to-back wins after an opening-day 7-1 loss at Barcelona.

“Unbelievable feeling, these three points are so important for us,” Bayern forward Pernille Harder said. “After the first half we were a little bit down and thinking, ‘What’s going on? Where are we at?’”

Bayern captain Glódís Viggósdóttir scored in the 86th minute from a cross that bounced into the goalmouth to complete the comeback.

Substitutes Alara in the 67th and Pernille Harder in the 80th, with a deft, looping left-footed shot, had tied a game that was in Arsenal’s control. All three goals were from assists by Germany attacker Klara Bühl.

“It feels good but it’s also a bit of a relief,” Bayern midfielder Georgia Stanway said. “We were very unsatisfied with the first half and I think second half was just a completely different game, and a massive show of character.”

Stanway suggested Bayern players have had trouble adjusting to playing in the club’s main stadium and tend to get “a little bit over-excited” in the first half.

United States defender Emily Fox rose in the fifth minute to head in Arsenal’s opening goal from a high-bouncing ball and Mariona Caldentey struck an exquisite second in the 23rd.

Caldentey, the Ballon d’Or runner-up in September, was perfectly balanced to find space on the edge of the Bayern penalty area and curl a rising right-footed shot.

Still, Arsenal lost again in Munich, one year after Harder’s late hat trick keyed a 5-2 rout that proved just a footnote by the time the Gunners beat Barcelona in the final in May.

Barcelona dominates

Barcelona swept aside Leuven though took until first-half stoppage time to score first from a penalty kick by Alexia Putellas.

An own goal by left back Kim Everaerts made it 2-0 before center back Irene Paredes’ deflected header into the net after a corner.

“We have to be happy,” Paredes said. “It’s true that maybe we deserved more (goals).”

French touch

Man United took the lead against PSG when a France forward, Melvine Malard, scored past a former England goalkeeper, Mary Earps, at Old Trafford.

PSG’s defender Olga Carmona — whose goal past her now-teammate Earps won the 2023 World Cup final for Spain against England — fired a stunning equalizer from 25 meters (yards) in first-half stoppage time.

The decisive goal for United was Fridolina Rolfö’s header in the 58th.

Juventus rose to seventh in the standings, above Bayern, by winning 2-1 at Atletico Madrid. Benfica and Twente drew 1-1 in Lisbon to both stay in the bottom six elimination places.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer