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Louise Thomas
Editor
A hat-trick from former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder consigned Arsenal to a 5-2 defeat at Bayern Munich on their Champions League group stage return.
Arsenal were knocked out in qualifying by Paris FC last year but, after they navigated fixtures with Rangers, Rosenborg and a two-legged round with Hacken, the Women’s Super League outfit were unable to claim any points from their Group C opener.
Mariona Caldentey put Jonas Eidevall’s Gunners ahead in Munich after 30 minutes but, while Laia Codina made it 2-2 in the 56th minute, Harder ended her European goal drought for Bayern with three goals in the final 17 minutes to fire the hosts to an impressive victory.
Arsenal had been held to a frustrating 0-0 WSL draw by Everton on Sunday but Leah Williamson and Stina Blackstenius returned to the starting line-up.
It was Bayern’s England international Georgia Stanway who went closest early on with a long-range strike which was comfortably saved by Manuela Zinsberger before the visitors should have taken the lead.
Katie McCabe’s superb left-footed free-kick found Codina but her weak effort was simple for Maria Luisa Grohs in the 14th minute.
The visitors continued to press for the opener and did make their dominance count when they went ahead on the half hour mark.
Once again McCabe was involved as her cross from the left was guided into the bottom corner on the volley by Caldentey.
It sparked Bayern into life and, after Zinsberger had denied Giulia Gwinn, the hosts equalised with two minutes of the half left when Stanway’s superb cross was headed in by captain Glodis Viggosdottir.
Bayern continued to be on the front foot after the break and went ahead when Klara Buhl passed into Sydney Lohmann, who rifled in at the near post in the 56th minute.
Arsenal produced an instant reply as Codina headed in McCabe’s corner nine minutes later but Eidevall immediately replaced McCabe and the away side collapsed during the final 20 minutes.
Harder failed to score in her six Champions League games for Bayern last season but broke that duck in the 73rd minute when she nodded home from a Carolin Simon corner.
It was 4-2 five minutes later when Harder sent another effort beyond Zinsberger from Buhl’s cross before she completed her hat-trick with 86 minutes on the clock.
After Zinsberger had saved Harder’s initial effort from a Gwinn delivery, the ex-Chelsea attacker poked in the rebound to conclude a miserable night for Arsenal.
