Arsenal’s opening game of the preseason against Nurnberg ended in a 1-1 draw, despite an early goal fromBukayo Sakain Germany on Thursday.
Saka heightened fan’s expectations when he scored an early opener seven minutes into the game, from an assist from Ben White.
The Nigerian-born English midfielder scored 14 goals and added 11 assists as Arsenal finished second in the Premier League last season.
Substitute Folarin Balogun almost doubled Arsenal’s lead but was denied by the post. Almost immediately the home side made the most of their reprieve, capitalizing on a mishap in the Arsenal defense that saw Jorginho unwittingly put the ball into their own net from long range.
“There are a lot of positive things that we can take, especially the way we played in the first half — the tempo, the composure, the commitment that we showed,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told the club’s website.
“We had some big chances to score more goals at the end, and mistakes are a part of football because they haven’t given much to be fair, but it was great to see our young players playing as well and doing really well in an environment that is challenging.
“We only had three training sessions with the majority of this group and the boys that played only 45 minutes, it was the maximum for some of them — it was more than enough. We picked up a few injuries, which we want to avoid, so let’s go week by week now.”
Nurnberg is now undefeated in four preseason matches while Arsenal will face the MLS All-Stars on July 19 before friendlies with Man United and Barcelona in the United States.
Nurnberg vs Arsenal Full Match Result
| 1st Half | 2nd Half | Result | Goal scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nurnberg | 0 | 1 | 1 | Okunuki (63) |
| Arsenal | 1 | 0 | 1 | Saka (7) |
First-Half Lineups:
Nurnberg (4-4-1-1, right to left): Mathenia(GK) — Valentini, Lawrence, Marquez, Brown— Handwerker, Geis, Moller Daehli, Okunuki — Hayashi — Duah
Arsenal (4-3-3, right to left): Ramsdale(GK) — White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior— Vieira, Partey, Trossard— Saka, Nketiah, Nelson
Second-Half Lineups:
Nurnberg (4-4-1-1, right to left): Klaus(GK) — Valentini, Lawrence, Marquez, Brown— Handwerker, Geis, Moller Daehli, Okunuki — Hayashi — Goller
Arsenal (4-3-3, right to left): Hein(GK) — Cedric, White, Gabriel, Tierney— Vieira, Jorginho, Havertz— Jesus, Balogun, Nketiah
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