Karétsas scores on Dortmund debut, Tzolis drives both Arsenal goals in 3-2 Emirates Cup loss
Borussia Dortmund defeated Arsenal 3-2 in the Emirates Cup final at the Emirates Stadium, with 18-year-old Konstantinos Karétsas scoring on his debut and Christos Tzolis involved in both Arsenal goals.
Match overview
Borussia Dortmund defeated Arsenal 3-2 in the Emirates Cup final at the Emirates Stadium in London, with two Greek internationals on opposing sides at the center of the match. Eighteen-year-old Konstantinos Karétsas, making his first appearance for Dortmund following a €35 million transfer from Genk, scored the second goal in the 29th minute. On the other side, 24-year-old Christos Tzolis started for Arsenal and was directly involved in both of his team's goals, assisting Ethan Nwaneri in the 54th minute and winning the penalty that Viktor Gyökeres converted in the 69th minute.
Karétsas opens his Dortmund account
Dortmund took the lead through Inácio in the 7th minute. Twenty-two minutes later, Karétsas collected the ball on the right, drove toward the Arsenal area, shifted onto his left foot, and finished into the top corner past Kepa to make it 2-0. The goal came in his first match since joining Dortmund from Genk, and he was substituted at halftime, replaced by Chukwuemeka. English media outlets praised the finish. SkySports described the finish as evidence that the Greek teenager had announced himself at Dortmund in the week he signed for the German club.
WHAT A FINISH! This kid looks like a diamond. Konstantinos Karétsas came down from the right side and finished in the window of Arsenal's goal. The Greek teenager announced himself at Dortmund, the week he signed for the German team. Even more defensive problems for Arsenal, 12 days before the start of the Premier League.
The BBC observed that Gabriel had given Karétsas excessive space and that Kepa had no chance of saving the shot. DailyMail praised the ease with which the 18-year-old carried the ball toward Arsenal's area before finishing into the bottom left corner, noting that Arsenal fans could not be happy.
Tzolis responds for Arsenal
Tzolis, who joined Arsenal from Club Brugge and started on the left wing, produced two decisive contributions in the second half. In the 54th minute, he moved in from the left, beat his marker, and delivered a cutback pass to the 19-year-old Nwaneri, who finished from close range to reduce the deficit to 1-2. The quality of the assist was such that television cameras immediately followed Tzolis rather than the goalscorer.
Dortmund restored their two-goal lead through Gnadou at an unspecified point in the second half, before Tzolis won a penalty in the 69th minute after being fouled by Kawa Prates. Gyökeres converted from the spot to set the final score at 2-3. Tzolis was substituted in the 77th minute, with Martinelli taking his place.
- Inácio opens scoring for Dortmund (0-1)
- Karétsas scores on Dortmund debut to make it 0-2
- Karétsas substituted, Chukwuemeka comes on
- Tzolis assists Nwaneri for 1-2
- Tzolis wins penalty, Gyökeres converts for 2-3
- Tzolis substituted, Martinelli comes on
- Penalty shootout: Arsenal wins 5-4, Mélier saves Albert's kick
Post-match shootout
After the final whistle, both teams practiced a penalty shootout for training purposes, which Arsenal won 5-4. The decisive moment came when Arsenal goalkeeper Mélier saved Albert's penalty, the fourth in Dortmund's series of five kicks.
Lineups
Arsenal started with Kepa in goal, behind a backline of White, Mosquera, Gabriel, and Calafiori. Ødegaard, Lewis-Skelly, and Havertz formed the midfield, with Dowman, Tzolis, and Gyökeres in attack. Dortmund's eleven featured Meyer; Benserbaini, Bellingham, Emmetça, Bayer; Karétsas, Gnadou, Svensson; Mané, Inácio, and Silva. The match was a preparation friendly, part of both clubs' pre-season schedules ahead of their respective league campaigns.
