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A thrilling encounter saw Arsenal thrash Barcelona in a friendly game in the USA last night. Arsenal had a fantastic season in the 2022-23 campaign. Manager Mike Arteta wants to continue like this in the upcoming season. This brilliant victory against Barcelona by a 5-3 margin will boost them in their next games. Meanwhile, it was Barcelona’s first pre-season game. Manager Xavi Hernandes will find out their problems and will improve the squad.
Match Report
Spanish club FC Barcelona met Arsenal last night at Sofi Stadium, USA. Like others, the two teams are preparing themselves for the upcoming season. Usually, clubs do the experiment in the pre-season, but Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta deployed a solid squad to face Barcelona.
With Arteta’s formation of 4-3-3, Jurrien Timber made his first appearance for Arsenal since joining from Ajax. Gabriel Jesus led the Gunner’s attack with Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard.
Besides, Barca boss Xavi Hernandes played his team in a 4-3-3 formation. Like Jurrien Timber, Ilkay Gundogan also made his first appearance for Barcelona after joining from Manchester City.
The game started with both sides desperate to score first. The approach of the two teams was very aggressive from the very first minute. However, it was FC Barcelona who drew the first blood. They took the lead in just seven minutes as Robert Lewandowski scored a goal for the Catalan club.
But Arsenal took only six minutes to find the equalizer. English winger Bukayo Saka hit the back of the net in the 13th minute to level the scoreline. Arsenal had a great chance to take the lead as they got a penalty kick in the 22nd minute. Unfortunately, Bukayo Saka missed the target.
Barcelona once again took the lead. This time, Raphinha put his team ahead with a free kick. But Arsenal were very determined and leveled the scoreline once again just before half-time. Kai Havertz scored that time with the help of Martin Odegaard.
After the break, Arsenal had gone crazy and created so many chances. They didn’t have to wait much to score in the 2nd half. Leandro Trossard put Arsenal ahead with a brilliant goal in the 55th minute. The striker hit again and completed his brace as he found the net in the 78th minute to make the scoreline 4-2.
However, Ferran Torres reduced the deficit for Barcelona by netting at the very last moment. After that, Barcelona tried their best to level the scoreline but failed. Furthermore, Arsenal got their fifth goal just one minute before the full-time whistle. Fabio Viera scored that goal for the Gunners to secure a comfortable victory against FC Barcelona.
Xavi was shocked by Arsenal’s intensity!
Barca boss Xavi Hernandes admitted that he was surprised by Arsenal’s intensity. He said, “I said to Arteta [Arsenal coach] that it was like a Champions League game. It was a little unusual the intensity they put into the game. We took it seriously but they played at a different tempo and deserved the win. We were a little soft in defense.”
