There was an outpouring of goals in massive density at the preseason clash involving Arsenal and Barcelona played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California which ended 5-3.
Line-ups:
Arsenal starting XI: Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Partey, Havertz, Odegaard, Saka, Jesus and Trossard.
Barcelona starting XI: Ter Stegen, Dest, Araujo, Christensen, Alonso, Oriol Romeu, Gundogan, Raphinha, Pedri, Ezzalzouli and Lewandowski.
Xavi Hernandez’s side raced into the lead in the 7th minute, courtesy of a left footed finish scored by Robert Lewandowski from the center of the 18-yard box.
However, their lead couldn’t stand the test of time as the Gunners recovered and did enough to respond, through a Bukayo Saka finish inside the box.
Bukayo Saka was devastating to the defense of Barcelona, wreaking havoc and fomenting trouble.
The England International brought the Gunners back into the game, scoring in the 13th minute, missing a penalty 9 minutes later and tearing apart the Blaugrana defense at regular intervals.
Both teams really let loose their guard to produce magical scenes right there in Los Angeles.
Arsenal responded brilliantly to their embarrassing defeat to Manchester United as they took Barcelona to the cleaners.
The Spanish giants doubled their advantage in the 34th minute and it appeared Barcelona were coasting for victory.
However, the Emirates Stadium side had other ideas as they were determined to pick up the victory at the SoFi Stadium.
Kai Havertz brought Mikel Arteta’s side back to parity in the encounter, scoring in the 44th minute, before Leandro Trossard scored a brace in the 55th and 78th minute respectively to put them clear of their opposition.
Arsenal and Barcelona scored in preseason within the space of a minute
Ferran Torres netted a consolation for Barcelona in the 88th minute and then Arsenal responded once again to seal off the victory with a goal from Fabio Viera one minute later.
The Gunners have now won two out of the four games they have played this preseason, having drawn FC Numberg, defeated MLS All-Stars, lost to Manchester United and now recording a win against Barcelona.
Meanwhile, they culminate their US preseason tour with the victory over Barcelona as they head back to London.
Arsenal have a date with AS Monaco slated to the 2nd of August, 2023 prior to facing Manchester City in the Community Shield on August 6, the curtain raiser to the 2022/23 season.
For Barcelona, they defeated Vissel Kobe by 0-2 in their first preseason encounter, but they couldn’t face off against Juventus after the game was cancelled due to health concerns.
The La Liga champions still have eternal rivals Real Madrid to play this preseason alongside Italian giants AC Milan, before culminating their preseason by facing Tottenham Hotspur.
New signing Kai Havertz has now scored 2 goals in 4 games for Arsenal after making a £65 million move from Chelsea in the summer of 2023.
High-profile summer signing for Barcelona Oriel Romeu and IIkay Gundogan also featured for 46 minutes in the loss to the English side.
Match Highlights Below:
