Christos Tzolis dazzled at a packed Emirates, yet defensive lapses and a stunning Karetsas strike saw Mikel Arteta’s side fall short against a clinical Bundesliga outfit.
More Videos
Arsenal fell to a 2-3 defeat to Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund this afternoon, as new signing Christos Tzolis shone once again for Mikel Arteta’s side despite the defeat.
Over 60,000 Arsenal fans once again packed out The Emirates Stadium. The excitement and anticipation of being back in N5 was certainly there to see, especially after the 'unveiling' of new £75m man, Bruno Guimaraes ahead of kick off. In the early exchanges, this rubbed off on the players, with Arsenal making a bright start.
Despite promising early signs, Dortmund took the lead, after Jobe Bellingham superbly played in Samuele Inacio who was able to slide past Kepa to give the visitors the lead. Arsenal were able to maintain control of proceedings, with several ‘nearly moments,’ but the hosts were unable to find a way past Alexander Meyer in the Dortmund net. Viktor Gyokeres rattling the bar and Gabriel firing a header over the bar, two of the better chances The Gunners had in the opening half of proceedings.
Despite having most of the ball, Arteta’s men fell further behind in the first half, after a wonderstrike from Dortmund’s new 18 year old signing Koretsas, whom they bought from Genk for a fee that could rise as high as £30m. The Greek international cut in from the right-hand side and curled a beautiful effort into the top left hand corner past Kepa.
HALF TIME: Arsenal 0 Borussia Dortmund 2 (Inacio 7’, Karetsas 29’)
Into the second half, and after a sustained period of pressure, Arsenal were able to find a goal back through Ethan Nwaneri. A brilliant piece of play from new man Tzolis on the left, who found Nwaneri unmarked in the middle of the box with a cutback, with the Englishman able to sweep home into a relatively empty net, and Arsenal were back in the game.
Despite promising glimpses going forward, the defensive frailties that we saw against Real Betis remained, and the 1 goal deficit lasted merely 5 minutes, as Dortmund defender Joane Gadou was able to bundle home quite a scrappy finish from a corner. After a good initial save from Meslier, the ball fell kindly to the French teenager, who despite the best effort of the Arsenal players on the line, was able to restore the German side's two goal advantage around the hour mark.
A lot of the bright work that Arsenal produced came out wide, with Max Dowman impressing once again, though this time out wide. Despite his moments of class, it was the man on the other wing, Tzolis, that set up Arsenal’s second. After picking up the ball in the box, the Greek man was fouled late, and Arsenal were correctly awarded a penalty by referee Chris Kavanagh. Viktor Gyokeres stepped up and calmly dispatched the spot kick, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and once again, reducing Arsenal’s deficit to one going into the final 20 minutes.
Arsenal winger Christos Tzolis was a bright spark despite the defeat, registering an assist and winning the penalty for Arteta's men this afternoon (Action Images via Reuters)
FULL TIME: Arsenal 2 Borussia Dortmund 3 (Nwaneri 54, Gyokeres 69’ (P) Inacio 7’, Karetsas 29, & Gadou 58’)
Arsenal winger Christos Tzolis was a bright spark despite the defeat, registering an assist and winning the penalty for Arteta's men this afternoon (Action Images via Reuters)
Arsenal made some late second half changes as they looked to salvage a draw, with Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Vieira entering the frame. Arsenal seemed to really step it up in the final 15 minutes, with Borussia Dortmund barely able to get out of their own half and those substitutions very nearly paid off. Gabriel Martinelli thought he had salvaged a draw with the last kick of the game after a well thought out short corner routine, but he was adjudged to be offside. A decision that at second glance, looked to be an incorrect one.
Despite the victory for the visitors, there was a penalty shootout for fans to enjoy at Full Time in typical Emirates Cup fashion. Arsenal fans had something to cheer about, as Arteta’s men ran out 5-4 winners with Meslier making the only save of the shootout. However, it was Dortmund who lifted the trophy after the victory inside the 90 minutes, becoming the first visiting side to ‘win’ the Emirates Cup trophy since 2020.
Arsenal XI:
Arrizabalaga, White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Odegaard, Havertz, Dowman, Tzolis & Gyokeres
Used Substitutes: Nwaneri, Meslier, Salmon, Hincapie, Vieira, Jesus, Martinelli, Ogunnaike, Ibrahim, Julienne & O’Neill
Unused Substitutes: Setford, Kabia & Nelson
What is up next?
The pre-season calendar continues to come quickly, as The Gunners welcome Cesc Fabregas’ Como to The Emirates Stadium on Wednesday evening. This is then followed by the Community Shield final vs Manchester City on Sunday afternoon. Arsenal will then host top flight newbies Coventry City in the curtain raiser of the new Premier League season on Friday 21st August, once again at Emirates Stadium, kicking off at 8pm.