Arsenal suffered a 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the Emirates Cup as they returned to the Emirates Stadium for the first time since being crowned Premier League champions.
The Gunners fell behind in the first half after Samuele Inacio produced a neat finish before Konstantinos Karetsas doubled Dortmund’s advantage with an excellent curling effort.
Arsenal responded through Ethan Nwaneri, who pulled one back after good work from Christos Tzolis.
Dortmund restored their two-goal advantage after Joane Gadou scored from a corner, before Viktor Gyokeres converted from the penalty spot after Tzolis was fouled to make it 3-2.
Arsenal ultimately lost the match, but they won the post-match penalty shootout after both teams had agreed to practise penalties regardless of the result.
Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira, Piero Hincapie, Gabriel Martinelli and Nwaneri all converted for Arsenal.
Ben White was among Arsenal’s strongest performers before being substituted, earning a rating of 7 for what was described as another sharp and composed pre-season display.
Martin Odegaard also impressed during his first pre-season minutes since returning from the World Cup. The captain showed some bright moments, including a good pass to release Kai Havertz, before being withdrawn after 30 minutes.
Tzolis was another standout performer, earning a 7 after delivering dangerous set-pieces and providing the assist for Nwaneri’s goal.
Nwaneri continued his promising pre-season campaign after coming on for Odegaard. The 19-year-old scored Arsenal’s first goal and later forced a good save from the Dortmund goalkeeper.
Piero Hincapie and 16-year-old Marli Salmon also impressed after coming off the bench, with Salmon producing several strong defensive interventions.
Gyokeres scores but struggles
Gyokeres endured a mixed outing despite getting on the scoresheet.
The Arsenal forward showed plenty of effort and energy but struggled to produce the required quality in front of goal.
He hit the crossbar from inside the box in the first half before scoring from the penalty spot after Tzolis was fouled.
The result will give Mikel Arteta plenty to consider, particularly in defence, although the game also provided valuable minutes for several players returning from the World Cup and youngsters pushing for first-team opportunities.
Arsenal will now continue their preparations for the new season, with the Emirates Cup defeat providing another test for Arteta’s squad during pre-season.
