Arsenal suffered a 2-3 defeat against Borussia Dortmund at home on Sunday, marking their third summer friendly. This match was part of the annual Emirates Cup tournament held at the Gunners’ home ground.
The Premier League champions started strong but conceded two goals from the first two shots on target by the German side, with Samuele Inacio scoring in the 7th minute and Konstantinos Karetsas adding another in the 29th minute.
After halftime, Ethan Nwaneri pulled one back for Arsenal, but Joan Gadu’s goal in the 58th minute restored Dortmund’s two-goal advantage.
Viktor Gyokeres converted a penalty in the 69th minute to make it 2-3, marking the last goal of the match. In the dying moments, Gabriel Martinelli had a shot that found the net but was ruled out for offside.
Notable absences for Arsenal included stars such as David Raya, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, Eze, Zubimendi, Merino, and new signing Bruno Guimaraes, all of whom were participating in the World Cup. Jurrien Timber and William Saliba were also sidelined due to injuries.
During the match against Borussia, Mikel Arteta made a complete substitution of his team, keeping captain Martin Odegaard on the pitch for only half an hour. Christos Tzolis, who joined this summer and played on the left wing, stood out with a decisive pass and winning a penalty.
- Arsenal: Kepa, Mosquera, White, Gabriel, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard, Havertz, Dowman, Gyokeres, Tzolis
- Substitutes: Hincapie, Jesus, Martinelli, Vieira, Nwaneri, Nelson, Meslier, Setford, Salmon, Kabia, Ibrahim, Ogunnaike, Julienne, O’Neill
- Borussia Dortmund: Meyer, Bensebaini, Bellingham, Nmecha, Beier, Karetsas, Silva, Gadou, Svensson, Mane, Inacio
- Substitutes: Drewes, Guirassy, Chukwuemeka, Sabitzer, Lerma, Prates, Albert, Kabar, Yamamoto, Reggiani, Riedl
This marks Arsenal’s second consecutive defeat, having lost 1-3 to Real Betis in Dublin a few days prior. Next week, Mikel Arteta’s team will face Manchester City in the Community Shield match, followed by their Premier League opener at home against newly promoted Coventry on August 21. Before that, they have one last friendly against Como on August 12.
For Borussia Dortmund, this win marks their third victory in five friendlies. They will conclude their preparation matches against Roma on August 15, before facing Bayern Munich for the German Supercup on August 22.
