Goals: Norgaard 36', Odegaard 76' - Pepe 16', Eyong 33', Danjuma 68'
Gyokeres made his debut as a substitute, playing the last 15 minutes of the 0-1 friendly loss to Tottenham in Hong Kong last week.
Against Villarreal yesterday, Gyokeres played in front of Arsenal fans at the Emirates for the first time. The Swedish forward had 14 touches, completed 4 of 7 passes, lost possession three times, and had two shots with one on target. He was substituted for captain Martin Odegaard in the 63rd minute.
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Viktor Gyokeres (red shirt) on the ball during Arsenal's 2-3 defeat against Villarreal at the Emirates Stadium, London, England on 6/8. Photo: Arsenal FC |
Viktor Gyokeres (red shirt) on the ball during Arsenal's 2-3 defeat against Villarreal at the Emirates Stadium, London, England on 6/8. Photo: Arsenal FC
Not only Gyokeres, but many Arsenal players also underperformed. In the first half, the Gunners only had 48% possession, with 7 shots and one clear chance, compared to Villarreal's 6 shots and two clear chances.
In the 16th minute, Nicolas Pepe opened the scoring for Villarreal with a close-range finish. The Ivorian winger, who previously played for Arsenal, scoring 27 goals in 112 appearances, did not celebrate against his former club. In the 33rd minute, Karl Etta Eyong doubled the lead with another close-range effort.
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Nicolas Pepe reacts after opening the scoring. Photo: Bleacher |
Nicolas Pepe reacts after opening the scoring. Photo: Bleacher
Arsenal struggled to break through and only managed to reduce the deficit from a corner. In the 36th minute, Christian Norgaard, the USD 15 million signing from Brentford, headed home his first goal for Arsenal.
In the second half, while pushing forward in search of an equalizer, Arsenal were caught on the counter-attack. In the 68th minute, substitute Arnaut Danjuma found space in the box and slotted the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga, the goalkeeper signed from Chelsea for USD 6.7 million.
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Martin Odegaard scores from the penalty spot. Photo: Arsenal FC |
Martin Odegaard scores from the penalty spot. Photo: Arsenal FC
Max Dowman, the 15-year-old midfielder, continued to impress after coming on as a substitute. He won a penalty, which Odegaard converted, but it wasn't enough to prevent Arsenal's defeat. A similar scenario occurred in Arsenal's 3-2 win over Newcastle in Singapore on 27/7, when Dowman won a penalty that Odegaard scored to seal the victory.
Mikel Arteta's side has one more friendly against Bilbao in the annual Emirates Cup on 9/8, before their Premier League opener away to Manchester United on 17/8.
Compiled by Hong Duy
