Arsenal's pre-season preparations hit another bump as Borussia Dortmund claimed the Emirates Cup with a 3-2 victory in north London, inflicting a second straight defeat on Mikel Arteta's side before the Premier League title defence begins.
The occasion carried a celebratory backdrop, with new signing Bruno Guimaraes introduced to supporters before kick-off and the club marking its first Emirates Stadium appearance since being crowned Premier League champions in May. Martin Odegaard made his first appearance since returning from the World Cup, while Gabriel Magalhaes started at the back, but neither presence could prevent a shaky defensive showing.
Dortmund raced into a two-goal lead before the break through sharp finishes from Samuele Inacio and teenage winger Konstantinos Karetsas. Inacio capitalized on space in behind Arsenal's defence to beat goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, before Karetsas curled a superb strike past him to double the visitors' advantage.
Arsenal responded through Ethan Nwaneri, who pulled a goal back, but Dortmund restored their two-goal cushion almost immediately when Joane Gadou converted from close range after a corner was not properly cleared. Late drama arrived when Viktor Gyokeres scored from the penalty spot to give Arsenal hope, and Arteta turned to several academy players in the closing stages. Gabriel Martinelli thought he had completed the comeback with a stoppage-time finish, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
The result follows a 3-1 loss to Real Betis in Dublin earlier in the week, meaning Arsenal have now conceded three goals in consecutive matches — a stark contrast to a Premier League campaign last season in which they shipped three goals only once, in a defeat to Manchester United.
While the fixtures carry little competitive weight, the pattern is a point of concern given the personnel involved. Arteta fielded what could realistically be his starting back four against Dortmund, with David Raya still to return and Gabriel Magalhaes and Cristhian Mosquera paired at centre-back alongside full-backs Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White. With William Saliba sidelined for a lengthy period and Jurrien Timber also unavailable for several weeks, that combination may represent Arsenal's strongest available option as the season opens, raising questions over whether reinforcements will be sought before the transfer window closes.
On a more encouraging note for Arteta, Christos Tzolis continued to impress following his summer move from Club Brugge. The Greek forward combined defensive diligence with incisive attacking play, tracking back to snuff out Dortmund counters while also creating chances at the other end. He supplied the pull-back that led to Nwaneri's goal and was involved in winning the penalty that Gyokeres converted. Tzolis also took on set-piece duties once Odegaard was substituted, though competition for such responsibilities will intensify once Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Guimaraes are fully integrated.
With reports linking Arsenal to Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, Tzolis appears to be edging ahead of Martinelli in the race to start alongside Gyokeres and Saka in attack.
Speaking after the match, Arteta confirmed his squad will reconvene in full for the first time since the World Cup on Monday, with Saka, Rice, Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi all set to return to training. None are expected to feature against Como in Arsenal's final pre-season fixture, though Guimaraes could be involved as he continues his return from injury ahead of the Community Shield against Manchester City in Cardiff, before the Premier League opener against Coventry City.
Based on reporting from The Independent.