Arsenal's pre-season struggles continued on Sunday as Borussia Dortmund came from ahead to secure a 3-2 victory in the Emirates Cup, though the Gunners salvaged some pride by winning the subsequent penalty shootout.
Mikel Arteta's side, who had shipped three goals against Real Betis just days earlier, once again showed defensive frailties that will concern the club ahead of the new campaign. Dortmund needed just seven minutes to break the deadlock when Samuele Inacio got the better of Cristhian Mosquera inside the penalty area, latching onto a pass from Felix Nmecha before finishing calmly into the bottom corner.
Arsenal responded well in the aftermath of the opener, with Viktor Gyokeres denied by the crossbar after a powerful strike. Kai Havertz and Gabriel also had opportunities to level the scoring, but the home side could not find a way through before the interval.
Instead, it was Dortmund who doubled their advantage right before halftime. Summer arrival Konstantinos Karetsas produced a moment of quality, drilling an unstoppable effort into the top corner to send the visitors in with a 2-0 cushion at the break.
The second half saw Arsenal show far more urgency, largely inspired by Christos Tzolis, who played a central role in both of the club's goals. He first teed up Ethan Nwaneri, who reduced the deficit, before winning a penalty that Gyokeres converted to level matters at 2-2 in what looked like a promising comeback.
However, Dortmund restored their lead soon after when Joane Gadou capitalized on a lapse in Arsenal's defending at a corner, finding the net to make it 3-2 and ultimately proving to be the decisive contribution of the afternoon.
Arsenal pushed for a late equalizer, and substitute Gabriel Martinelli thought he had found one in stoppage time, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside, denying the Gunners a share of the spoils in normal time.
As had been arranged prior to kickoff regardless of the final result, the match proceeded to a penalty shootout. Arsenal came out on top in the shootout, winning 5-4, with Mathis Albert the only player from either side to miss his spot-kick. Nwaneri, who had already been involved in the second-half fightback, stepped up to send his penalty into the top corner and seal the shootout win for the Gunners.
Despite the shootout success, the result will do little to ease concerns about Arsenal's defensive stability heading into the new season, with two difficult matches now producing six goals conceded across the two fixtures. Bruno Guimaraes, linked with a move to Arsenal, was among those watching on as the Emirates Cup clash unfolded.
For Dortmund, the performance offered plenty of positives, with both Karetsas and Gadou making eye-catching contributions in what was an entertaining pre-season contest for both sets of supporters at the Emirates Stadium.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport.