Gunners held to surprise draw as pre-season begins

Arsenal were held to a 1-1 tie by Nurnberg, who finished 14th in the 2.Bundesliga last season and have spent eight of the last nine years outside of Germany’s top flight.Information Guide Nigeria

The encounter began in tough circumstances for the Gunners, who have been practicing at adidas HQ in Germany, as Martin Odegaard was forced to withdraw from the starting lineup just seconds before kick-off owing to a minor injury sustained during warm-up.

Despite this, Bukayo Saka handed Arsenal an early lead in a first half in which Mikel Arteta’s team dominated. The England winger created the goal mostly on his own, grabbing onto a long pass down the right and cutting inside to score a low finish into the net.

Saka had a chance to double Arsenal’s advantage midway through the half, but Christian Mathenia saved his low attempt in the home goal.

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In the first 45 minutes, Nurnberg created little of note, with Kwadwo Duah dragging a shot wide from a good position.

Arteta made no changes at halftime, although he did throw £65 million signing Kai Havertz into the mix for his unofficial debut. At the interval, the additions of Gabriel Jesus, Jorginho, Cedric Soares, and Kieran Tierney assured that there would be some experience on the pitch.JAMB Result

When Jesus went through on goal from a somewhat narrow angle, he couldn’t get an effort on goal, and Fabio Vieira also missed with a snap shot inside the area. After taking the ball past the Nurnberg goalkeeper, substitute Folarin Balogun hit the post, which proved costly considering that the hosts levelled on their next assault.

Furthermore, the goal was a total gift. Unfortunately, replacement goalkeeper Karl Hein bears responsibility for attempting to play a pass into Jorginho in midfield. But, with the Italian under pressure, Kanji Okunuki was quickest to the ball and tapped it into an empty net.

Nurnberg’s confidence rose as the game progressed, and another tense Hein moment saw the Estonian botch a long-range drive from Ali Loune, with Nathaniel Brown turning the rebound onto the bar. Only a last-second block from Auston Trusty prevented a Nurnberg goal from Christoph Dafferner.

Balogun squandered Arsenal’s second excellent chance of the game in the 90th minute against the run of play. The American charged through the middle, shifted the ball to the side of the oncoming goalkeeper, and slammed the ball into the wrong side of the post.NYSC Portal

Hein then made amends for his previous gaffe by saving Arsenal’s blushes deep into injury time by blocking Felix Lohkemper’s close-range drive with his legs.

Check: JAMB Result

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