Arsenal began their return to the Emirates Stadium as Premier League champions with a 3-2 pre-season defeat by Borussia Dortmund in the Emirates Cup, although Mikel Arteta’s side won the penalty shootout held after the match.
Dortmund took control during an open first half. Samuele Inacio gave the German side the lead with a composed finish before Konstantinos Karetsas extended their advantage with an impressive curling strike.
Arsenal reduced the deficit through Ethan Nwaneri, who finished after good work from Christos Tzolis. Dortmund restored their two-goal cushion when Joane Gadou scored from a corner, but Arsenal responded again late on.
Viktor Gyokeres converted from the penalty spot to make it 3-2 after Tzolis was fouled. The Arsenal forward had earlier struck the crossbar from inside the penalty area, but his overall performance was mixed despite his goal.
Gyokeres worked hard and showed plenty of energy, although he was unable to consistently provide the final quality Arsenal needed in front of goal. His penalty gave the home side hope, but Dortmund held on to claim victory in the match itself.
The teams had agreed before kick-off to practise penalties regardless of the result, meaning Arsenal had the opportunity to recover some confidence from the shootout. Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira, Piero Hincapie, Gabriel Martinelli and Nwaneri all scored their penalties for the Gunners.
Ben White was among Arsenal’s most impressive performers before being substituted. He was given a rating of 7 after producing another sharp and composed display during pre-season.
Martin Ødegaard also made a positive impression on his return to pre-season action following the World Cup. The Arsenal captain played for 30 minutes and showed flashes of his quality, including a well-weighted pass that released Kai Havertz, before being taken off.
Tzolis was another of Arsenal’s brighter players. He caused problems with a series of dangerous set-pieces and created Nwaneri’s goal, earning a rating of 7 for his contribution.
Nwaneri continued his encouraging pre-season after replacing Ødegaard. The 19-year-old scored Arsenal’s opening goal and later tested the Dortmund goalkeeper with another effort that required a good save.
There were also promising displays from substitutes Piero Hincapie and 16-year-old Marli Salmon. Salmon made several strong defensive interventions after coming on, while Hincapie added to the positive impression made by Arsenal’s bench players.
Despite the defeat, the match offered Arteta useful minutes for players returning from the World Cup, as well as an opportunity to assess younger members of his squad who are competing for first-team roles.
The defensive shortcomings will give the Arsenal manager plenty to examine before the new campaign begins. However, the Emirates Cup fixture also formed part of a wider pre-season programme designed to build fitness, test combinations and prepare the squad for the demands of the new season.
