Dortmund condems EPL champions, Arsenal to another preseason defeat
By Luke Oluoch, August 9, 2026Arsenal’s preseason woes continued as German side Borussia Dortmund inflicted back-to-back friendly losses on Mikel Arteta’s side, securing a 3–2 victory at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, August 9, 2026.
The preseason clash also served as the annual Emirates Cup match, which the Gunners relinquished following another defeat just days after their 3–1 loss to Real Betis in Spain.
Arsenal aimed for a strong home performance but fell short on a day they conceded three goals while deploying two different goalkeepers in Kepa Arrizabalaga and Illan Meslier.
Gunners trail by two goals
The Bundesliga outfit stunned the host side by scoring twice in the opening half, leaving the Gunners with a steep hill to climb.
With almost all of Arsenal’s stars back in London for the final phase of their 2026 preseason—and the FA Community Shield just a week away—Mikel Arteta named a strong starting lineup featuring defender Gabriel Magalhães, striker Viktor Gyökeres, and team captain Martin Ødegaard. Recent signing Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge also featured, joining Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyökeres in a revamped attacking setup.
A late first-half foray saw Arsenal come close through a Kai Havertz header, which was comfortably gathered by the Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper as the referee blew for halftime.
Mikel Arteta made a raft of changes at the break, withdrawing Kepa Arrizabalaga and bringing new goalkeeper Illan Meslier into the fray.
Christos Tzolis turned provider for teenage talent Ethan Nwaneri, who halved the deficit nine minutes after the restart.
Dortmund instant response
However, the buzz around the Emirates Stadium quickly turned to disappointment as Borussia Dortmund hit back to restore their two-goal cushion, with Joane Gadou finding the net following a goalmouth scramble after Illan Meslier had made an initial save from a corner.
Viktor Gyökeres converted a 69th-minute penalty to once again cut the gap to one goal, but it proved to be a mere consolation as the German side held firm to claim the win in a five-goal thriller and lift the Emirates Cup trophy.
Arsenal wins ceremonial penalty shootouts
Arsenal’s major bright spot came after the final whistle in the ceremonial penalty shootout, as the Gunners held their nerve to triumph 5–4.
Ethan Nwaneri, Piero Hincapié, Gabriel Jesus, and Gabriel Martinelli were flawless from the spot before Illan Meslier denied former Gunner Albert Sambi Lokonga to deliver a winning moment in front of the Emirates crowd.
Arsenal now shift their focus to their final warm-up fixture against Italian outfit Como 1907 on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, before heading to Wales for their FA Community Shield clash against Manchester City on Sunday, August 16, 2026.