Arsenal 3 – 0 Fiorentina
Charlotte, NC–With USWNT hero Megan Rapinoe in the house, Eddie Nketiah scored goals in the 15th and 65th minute and Joe Willock added a third tally in the 89th minute as Arsenal held off Fiorentina 3-0.
Heat and humidity combined for a “feels like” temperature of close to 100 degrees (Fahrenheit) on the Bank of America Stadium field, requiring hydration breaks every 15 minutes. Not unexpectedly, this made play somewhat sluggish as players tried to manage their fitness in the heat.
For the most part, Arsenal was off on the front foot in the game, but a series of defensive gaffes kept Gunners goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez busy early on. Riccardo Sottil nearly leveled the game just before halftime but Martinez–who would be replaced by Bernd Leno in the second half–was alert to preserve his clean sheet.
The second half was nearly identical to the first half. Whether it was down to the weather or pre-season wobbles, Arsenal’s defense continued to be vulnerable and Fiorentina was still unable to capitalize on their opportunities, despite outshooting the Gunners 18-12 (with 8 SOT).
After a training ground-like buildup through midfield, Nketiah doubled his goal tally in the 65th minute as chants of “ED-DIE! ED-DIE” filled the stadium. Fiorentina players were furious with referee Marcos de Oliveira for allowing play to continue after one of their players was brought down in midfield leading up to the goal.
Nketiah came out of the game in the final wave of subs after a brilliant showing offensively, and defensively when he made a goal-saving clearance late in the first half. He was named Player of the Game for his performance.
Mesut Ozil saw action in the final ten minutes of the match when he was part of the final group of substitutions.
In the end, Arsenal got away with some shaky defense and Fiorentina was left wilted and frustrated.
Lineups
Arsenal Starting: Martinez; Mustafi, Monreal, Chambers, Jenkinson, Kolasinac; Burton, Olayinka; Nelson, Nketiah, Saka
Substitutes: Leno, Macey; Sokratis, Thompson, Medley; Mkhitaryan, Maitland-Niles, Willock, Xhaka, Ozil; Lacazette, Aubameyang, Martinelli, John-Jules
Fiorentina Starting: Dragowski; Venuti, Ceccherini, Ranieri, Terzic; Saponara, Cristoforo, Castrovilli, Benassi; Sottil, Vlahovic
Substitutes: Terracciano; Biraghi, Milenkovic, Hancko, Rasmussen, Hristov, Hugo; Eysseric, Zurkovski, Dabo, Nicky, Meli, Lakti; Simeone, Montiel, Chiesa, Koffi, Baez
Attendance: 34,902
Photo gallery: Arsenal v Fiorentina
All photos by Victoria Klum
