Arsenal vs. Lyon: A rampaging Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 victory against Lyon in a friendly on Thursday, outplaying the Ligue 1 club inside Dubai’s Al-Makhtoum Stadium.
Lyon appeared sluggish and unable to go anywhere near Arsenal in the first half as they strolled to a 3-0 lead. The trend remained for the most part after the interval, despite Lyon’s defensive attempts.
The Gunners swiftly found their spark and took control of the game, winning the ball back high, trapping Lyon in their half, and generating a flurry of opportunities. The Ligue 1 side had space to counter-attack, but couldn’t keep possession long enough to beat Arsenal.
Gabriel should’ve done better with a free-kick header after 14 minutes before Fabio Vieira pushed Anthony Lopes into a low save after 18 minutes. The Brazilian made up for his previous wasted opportunity, capitalizing on weak defense to bulldoze Arsenal in ahead with his head.
Lyon battled mightily to keep possession of the ball and impose themselves on Arsenal. Arsenal won back control and threaded together a fantastic transition in front of the Gunners’ goal, with Martin Odegaard and Kieran Tierney hooking up to launch their side forward and earn a corner.
Arsenal had a chance for a second after half an hour. The Gunners stormed forward, catching the French side off guard, and Fabio Vieira squared the ball along the box for Eddie Nketiah to tap in.
After 39 minutes, Vieira got one for himself, utilising the acres of room he was granted on the outside of the box to elegantly curl one into the top corner.
In reality, the 3-0 scoreline flattered Lyon going into the interval, with Arsenal looking tremendously crisp and their opponents looking just the opposite.
Laurent Blanc would have had much to say to his Lyon team at halftime, and although they improved in the second half, Arsenal controlled proceedings. After 55 minutes, substitute Marquinhos nearly made it 4-0, but his curled effort was tipped onto the crossbar.
After an hour, Marquinhos had another great opportunity to score when he swivelled on a loose ball and blasted into the side-netting. However, with three goals already in the bag and the game practically won, Arteta called for a wholesale change, basically changing the entire XI.
After recovering control from a goal kick that was played short, the Gunners nearly made it 4-0, but a frenzied sequence of defense saw the ball away for a corner.
Because this is the highly acclaimed Dubai Super Cup (absolutely not sarcastic), there was a typical penalty shootout after the full-time whistle, with an additional point up for grabs. Arsenal triumphed 2-1, but the highlights were two very poor Panenka tries from Catalin Cirjan and Rayan Cherki, the latter of whom seemed to have given up halfway through his run-up.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1) (4-2-3-1)
GK: Karl Hein – 8/10 – With Aaron Ramsdale still at the World Cup, Hein was given the start, although he didn’t have much of a chance. In the penalty shootout, he put on a flawless performance and made three outstanding saves.
Cedric Soares – 7/10 – Solid complement to Vieira, running up inside to the half-space and frequently supplying a critical pass.
CB: Rob Holding – 6/10 – A well-calm performance. With games coming thick and fast after the World Cup, this may be an advantage.
CB: Gabriel – 7/10 – Outstanding performance from start to finish.
LB: Kierney Tierney – 6/10 – Tierney looked bright and tremendously fit, which was crucial given his troubling injury record.
DM: Mohamed Elneny – 6/10 – Swept up nicely at the base of midfield, despite Lyon not asking too much of him.
DM: Albert Sambi Lokonga – 6/10 – Deployed in the newly discovered Granit Xhaka role, with orders to advance and join the assault to generate overloads. As a consequence, he found himself in front of the goal with opportunities to score but lacked confidence.
RW: Fabio Vieira – 8/10 – Stretched the field brilliantly to create spaces in a sluggish Lyon defense and moved the ball with finesse. The beautiful, constant weight of the pass earned him an early assist. Playing him as an inverted winger might be crucial in the future.
AM: Martin Odegaard – 8/10 – He really showed off. No Lyon player could get close to the Norwegian, who sprayed about exquisite passes and created opportunities for pleasure.
LW: Reiss Nelson – 6/10 – Arsenal’s left side was much less successful than their right. Nelson, on the other hand, had a good time and became more confident as the game proceeded.
ST: Eddie Nketiah – 7/10 – Was slightly out of the game until he scored. A simple finish from a square ball, but one that will benefit Nketiah much. With Gabriel Jesus incapacitated after surgery, he staked his claim.
Manager: Mikel Arteta – 8/10 – Got plenty of minutes into the legs of periphery players who needed them, escaped with no injuries, and saw his team put in a very comfortable 90-minute performance. A successful day at work.
Fabio Vieira was named Player of the Match.
