Arsenal produced a sloppy performance as they were beaten 3-1 by LaLiga side Real Betis in a pre-season friendly in Dublin.The Gunners fell behind when Kepa Arrizabalaga came out and failed to claim a corner, allowing Rodrigo Riquelme to score at the back post. Nelson Deossa added a stunning second from long range.
Arsenal pulled one back when an inswinging corner from new signing Christos Tzolis was headed over the line by Piero Hincapie but Betis restored their two-goal lead when Pablo Fornals found the bottom corner following a misplaced pass by Kai Havertz.
How did Arsenal line up?
Starting XI: Kepa, White, Mosquera, Hincapie, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Havertz, Nwaneri, Dowman, Gyokeres, Tzolis
Subbed on: Copley, Salmon, Gabriel, Vieira, Nelson, Jesus, Martinelli, Julienne, Meslier, Ibrahim, Ogunnaike, Clarke, Kabia, O’Neill
Mikel Arteta made second-half changes with Brazil internationals Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli given their first cameos of pre-season but Arsenal, still without Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and others involved at the World Cup, were unable to cut the deficit.The defeat, their first of pre-season, comes as Arsenal continue to push for new signings in the transfer market, with the club having agreed a £75m fee with Newcastle for Bruno Guimaraes.
The key moments from Dublin9 – GOAL! Kepa Arrizabalaga fails to claim a corner, allowing the unmarked Rodrigo Riquelme to score at the far post26 – GOAL! Nelson Deossa adds Real Betis’s stunning second goal with a powerful long-range effort32 – GOAL! Christos Tzolis’s inswinging corner loops over the Real Betis goalkeeper and is headed in by Piero Hincapie43 – GOAL! Pablo Fornals fires home a third goal for Real Betis following a misplaced pass by Kai Havertz46 – SUBS! Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta makes seven half-time changes, with returning Brazilians Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli among those introduced55 – INJURY! Arsenal youngster Louie Copley is forced off with a serious-looking knee injury64 – SAVE! Real Betis cut through Arsenal but Illan Meslier saves Isco’s close-range flick67 – SHOT! Martinelli tees up a chance for Gabriel Jesus, who fires wideDid Arsenal show need for Bruno?With a lengthy list of players still to return following the World Cup, Arteta gave another chance to the midfield trio of Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Kai Havertz following the victory over Girona. This time, they found it…
2026-08-05 21:44:00
