Arsenal’s preparations for the new season suffered another setback after Borussia Dortmund secured a 3-2 victory over the Premier League champions at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s side are now only a week away from facing Manchester City in the Community Shield, but their latest performance showed there is still plenty of work to be done.
The defeat was Arsenal’s second in succession following a 3-1 loss to Real Betis in midweek. More concerning for Arteta is the fact that the Gunners have now conceded three goals in consecutive matches.
Borussia Dortmund took advantage of a slow Arsenal start to establish a two-goal lead inside the opening half-hour. Ethan Nwaneri and Viktor Gyokeres eventually pulled goals back for the hosts, but Dortmund held on to claim the 3-2 victory.
Arsenal later won a post-match penalty shootout 5-4, but the shootout did not change the result of the friendly.
Dortmund Punish Arsenal’s Slow Start
Arsenal began the match with Viktor Gyokeres leading the attack and Martin Odegaard involved after only recently returning to training.
However, it was Dortmund who settled much quicker. The visitors needed only six minutes to open the scoring.
Cristhian Mosquera failed to deal with the danger as Samuele Inacio made a run behind the Arsenal defence. Felix Nmecha spotted the movement and played the ball into his path, allowing Inacio to finish and give Dortmund an early 1-0 advantage.
It was exactly the kind of start Arteta would have wanted his players to avoid following the defeat against Real Betis.
Arsenal were given an opportunity to respond around 10 minutes later when Odegaard was brought down near the edge of the penalty area.
Gyokeres stepped forward to take the resulting free-kick, but the Swedish striker sent his effort over the crossbar.
Dortmund continued to look dangerous whenever they found space to attack Arsenal’s midfield and were rewarded with another goal before the half-hour mark.
Karetsas Makes It 2-0
Konstantinos Karetsas was given too much room as he advanced towards the Arsenal penalty area.
The youngster took full advantage, producing an excellent curling finish into the top corner to double Dortmund’s lead.
Arsenal suddenly found themselves 2-0 down at home before 30 minutes had been played.
The manner in which Dortmund were able to move through midfield will have been particularly frustrating for Arteta.
New signing Bruno Guimaraes watched the match from the stands after being presented to supporters before kick-off, while several of Arsenal’s established midfield options were unavailable.
Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino and a number of other players who featured at the World Cup were still missing.
Odegaard provided some quality during his limited time on the pitch, but Arsenal were not prepared to push him too far after his recent return to training.
The captain was withdrawn after around 30 minutes and replaced by Ethan Nwaneri.
That substitution would eventually provide Arsenal with a route back into the contest.
Nwaneri Starts Arsenal Comeback
Arsenal emerged for the second half needing a significant improvement.
They eventually found their first goal around 10 minutes after the restart.
Christos Tzolis drove a dangerous ball into the area and Nwaneri was there to turn it home, cutting Dortmund’s advantage to 2-1.
It appeared that Arsenal finally had some momentum.
The Emirates crowd had been given something to respond to and Arteta’s team suddenly had an opportunity to complete the comeback.
Unfortunately for the Gunners, that hope lasted only a few minutes.
Dortmund quickly restored their two-goal advantage.
Arsenal struggled to clear a corner as the ball bounced around inside the penalty area before Joane Gadou managed to poke it into the net in the 58th minute.
It was another disappointing goal for Arsenal to concede and made the score 3-1.
Having worked hard to get themselves back into the contest, the Premier League champions had immediately handed Dortmund control again.
Gyokeres Scores First Pre-Season Goal
Arsenal refused to give up.
Tzolis continued causing problems and played another important role when the Gunners were awarded a penalty.
The winger went down following a challenge from Kaua Prates, giving Gyokeres the opportunity to reduce the deficit from the spot.
The striker made no mistake.
Gyokeres converted the penalty to make it 3-2 and register his first goal of pre-season.
The goal gave Arsenal enough time to push for an equaliser, but Dortmund managed the closing stages well and prevented Arteta’s side from completing the comeback.
There was one final moment of hope for the home supporters.
Gabriel Martinelli appeared to have rescued Arsenal in added time when the substitute found the net.
The celebrations were quickly stopped, however, after the assistant referee raised his flag for offside.
Dortmund survived the late scare and finished the 90 minutes with a 3-2 victory.
Arsenal Win Post-Match Penalty Shootout
Although Dortmund had won the match, the afternoon was not quite finished.
The teams took part in a penalty shootout following the final whistle, with Arsenal eventually winning 5-4.
New goalkeeper Illan Meslier proved decisive when he denied Mathis Albert, allowing Arsenal to take the shootout.
But the shootout victory did not erase what had happened during the match itself.
Arsenal had conceded three goals at home and suffered their second successive pre-season defeat.
They also missed the opportunity to secure a fifth consecutive Emirates Cup.
Six Goals Conceded in Two Games
Perhaps the biggest concern for Arteta is not simply that Arsenal have lost two friendly matches.
It is the number of goals they have conceded.
Real Betis defeated Arsenal 3-1 in their previous outing before Dortmund arrived at the Emirates and scored another three.
That means the Premier League champions have conceded six goals across their last two pre-season matches.
Friendly results should always be treated with some caution. Managers use these games to experiment with formations, improve fitness and give opportunities to players who might not normally start competitive fixtures.
Arsenal are also operating without several important members of their squad.
Rice, Zubimendi, Bukayo Saka, Merino and Ebere Eze were among the players unavailable after their World Cup involvement, while Jurrien Timber and William Saliba were also missing through injury.
Those absences provide important context.
But with the Community Shield approaching, Arteta will still want to see a much more convincing performance from his team.
Bruno Guimaraes Could Strengthen Arsenal Midfield
One player who could make a significant difference is Guimaraes.
The Brazilian midfielder was unveiled to Arsenal supporters before the Dortmund match but watched the action from the stands.
His arrival gives Arteta another major option in midfield.
Once Guimaraes is available alongside players such as Rice and Zubimendi, Arsenal should have considerably more strength in the middle of the pitch than they showed against Dortmund.
The Gunners will also expect their overall level to rise once the players returning from World Cup duty are fully reintegrated into the squad.
Arteta, however, does not have much time.
Manchester City Test Comes Next
Arsenal’s next major challenge carries considerably more importance.
The Premier League champions are scheduled to face Manchester City in Cardiff in the Community Shield, giving them an opportunity to make a statement before the new league campaign begins.
That match will provide a much clearer indication of Arsenal’s readiness.
Arteta guided the club to its first Premier League title in 22 years last season, meaning expectations have changed dramatically.
Arsenal will begin the new campaign as defending champions rather than challengers trying to catch the team above them.
With that status comes additional pressure.
Losing pre-season friendlies will not define Arsenal’s season, but conceding six goals in two matches represents an obvious area that needs attention.
There were positives against Dortmund. Nwaneri got himself on the scoresheet, Gyokeres opened his pre-season account and Arsenal continued fighting after falling two goals behind.
But Dortmund ultimately exposed enough weaknesses to leave Arteta with questions to answer.
With Manchester City waiting in the Community Shield and the Premier League season rapidly approaching, Arsenal have very little time left to find those answers.
