Konstantinos Karetsas scores on debut as Dortmund defeat Arsenal

Borussia Dortmund ramped up their pre-season preparations with an impressive 3-2 friendly win against Arsenal.

The Black and Yellows raced into a 2-0 lead in the first half thanks to youngsters Samuele Inácio and Konstantinos Karetsas.

Arsenal's Victor Gyökeres and Ethan Nwaneri scored either side of Joane Gadou's 58th-minute strike, but it wasn't enough to prevent Borussia Dortmund from claiming victory over the reigning Premier League champions. The Gunners did enact some revenge by winning the subsequent penalty shootout 5-4.

Next up for BVB is their final pre-season match against Roma on Saturday 15 August. 

As it happened!

2 - 3

(0 - 2)

Arsenal

FINAL

Dortmund

Friendly
Pre-season Pre-season Emirates Stadium

Full-time: Arsenal 2-3 Dortmund

Dortmund win the Emirates Cup! It was a good overall performance from BVB, who raced into a 2-0 lead in the first half thanks to youngsters Inácio and Karetsas. Gyökeres and Nwaneri kept Arsenal in the match, but an impressive final 15 minutes from the Dortmund defenders got the job done on a sunny afternoon in North London.

© Justin Setterfield

Full-time

90'

+ 2

Goal disallowed

Martinelli squeezes the ball past Meyer from a tight angle, but fortunately for BVB, he is then flagged for offside.

90'

Late change for Dortmund

Yamamoto, who has impressed so far this pre-season, is on for the final few minutes.

90'

Substitution

Takato Yamamoto

Daniel Svensson

89'

Added time

Dortmund are three minutes away from clinching the win.

Debut to remember for Dortmund's Karetsas

© Justin Setterfield

85'

Dortmund sit in

The Bundesliga side are being deprived of the ball as we inch towards full-time. Arsenal are pushing for an equaliser, but in open play, they have generally struggled to create anything of note since the raft of substitutions.

80'

Substitution

Theo Julienne

Ben White

80'

Substitution

Ife Ibrahim

Max Dowman

80'

Substitution

Joshua Ogunnaike

Cristhian Mosquera

79'

Substitution

Ceadach O'Neill

Kai Havertz

78'

Substitution

Luca Reggiani

Ramy Bensebaini

78'

Substitution

Fábio Vieira

Myles Lewis-Skelly

78'

Substitution

Gabriel Martinelli

Christos Tzolis

78'

Substitution

Gabriel Jesus

Viktor Gyökeres

77'

Drinks break

The game is paused so the two sets of players can take on some fluids. We're about to see a host of Arsenal substitutions.

74'

Fine work by Gyökeres

The Arsenal forward has been excellent today, and he is driving forward once again in search of an equaliser. His latest foray down the left channel earns his side a corner, which is defended well by BVB.

Gyökeres scores!

The Swede makes no mistake from the spot, sending Meyer the wrong way. Arsenal are back in this one.

© Justin Setterfield

69'

Viktor Gyökeres

GOAL!

2:3

67'

Penalty Arsenal!

Tzolis tries to move the ball away from Prates inside the Dortmund box, who makes a late challenge and brings the Greek attacker down. The Refree awards a penalty to the Gunners, which will be taken by Gyökeres...

63'

Corner swatted away

Nwaneri floats a corner kick right under Meyer's crossbar, who does very well to push it away to safety. Arsenal are piling on the pressure here, with Dowman the latest player to test Meyer's hands moments later.

61'

Guirassy is on

Dortmund make a host of changes on the 60-minute mark, with forward Guirassy among those coming on for the closing stages of the game.

60'

Substitution

Serhou Guirassy

Felix Nmecha

60'

Substitution

Marli Salmon

Gabriel

60'

Substitution

Piero Hincapié

Riccardo Calafiori

59'

Substitution

Kauã Prates

Samuele Inácio

59'

Substitution

Mathis Albert

Fabio Silva

59'

Substitution

Marcel Sabitzer

Maximilian Beier

Gadou adds a third!

Dortmund respond almost immediately! A corner comes in from the right side, which is only half cleared by Arsenal. The ball falls to Silva on the right byline, whose shot from a tight angle is saved and pushed towards Gadou at the back post, who is able to score from close range. That's the young defender's first goal for BVB!

© Alex Pantling

58'

Joane Gadou

GOAL!

1:3

55'

Arsenal get one back!

The hosts have halved the deficit nine minutes into the second half! Tzolis is the chief architect, after finding Nwaneri unmarked in the centre of the Dortmund box, who had the straightforward task of firing the ball into a half-empty net. That was nice work from the Arsenal duo, but it was all a tad too easy from a BVB perspective.

54'

Ethan Nwaneri

GOAL!

1:2

50'

Side-netting from Dowman

The teenager breaks free down the right and drives into the Dortmund area. His subsequent shot ripples the side-netting after a neat piece of skill.

48'

Close from Chukwuemeka

The Dortmund attacker has only been on the pitch for a few minutes, but he is already having an impact on proceedings. After picking up the ball from around 25 yards out he opts to shoot, but his powerful effort whizzes narrowly over the crossbar.

47'

Back underway

The ball is rolling again in London for the second half. Both sides have made changes at the break...

46'

Substitution

Illan Meslier

Kepa Arrizabalaga

46'

Substitution

Ethan Nwaneri

Martin Ødegaard

46'

Substitution

Carney Chukwuemeka

Konstantinos Karetsas

Kick-off!

Half-time: Arsenal 0-2 Dortmund

Dortmund are on the verge of becoming the first team other than Arsenal to win the Emirates Cup since 2019. Inácio kicked things off in style for the visitors, after combining beautifully with Nmecha. Arsenal responded by hitting the crossbar moments later via the lively Gyökeres, but it was Dortmund who scored the second goal of the game, after new signing Karetsas let fly from range. Kovač will surely be pleased with what he has seen so far.

© IMAGO/George Tewkesbury/Shutterstock

Half-time

45'

+ 1

Added time

There will be an additional two minutes of play at the end of the first half.

42'

Havertz flagged offside.

Tzolis whips a free kick into the Dortmund area. Havetz meets it with a driven header that is straight at Meyer, who clings onto the ball. The Arsenal midfielder is then flagged for an offside infringement.

40'

Penalty appeal

Gyökeres goes down inside the Dortmund area after a physical tussle with Gadou. However, the referee waves away his appeals for a spot kick.

37'

Free header!

Mosquera rises highest from the resulting free kick, but his free header flies well off target and into the stand behind the goal.

35'

Arsenal pick up the tempo

The hosts are controlling the ball in the middle of the park now, patiently looking for a way back into the game. Dowman looks the most likely to make something happen for Arsenal, having just earned a free-kick in a dangerous position after dropping the shoulder on Beier.

Karetsas scores on debut!

Now that's how you announce yourself to your new club! Karetsas starts the move himself by carrying the ball half the length of the pitch without being challenged. He arrives at the edge of the Arsenal area, shifts the ball onto his stronger side, and side-foots it into the far corner of the net. That was simply sublime from Dortmund's summer signing!

© CARLOS JASSO

29'

Konstantinos Karetsas

GOAL!

0:2

28'

Mané to the rescue

Gyökeres tries to knock the ball past the BVB defender, but he just about gets a toe to it and prevents a one-on-one situation.

26'

Off the crossbar!

Arsenal come forward again in numbers. Dowman skips past Bensebaini with ease on the right side and cuts the ball back to Gyökeres. He works a pocket of space to shoot and rattles Meyer's crossbar with a driven effort. Dortmund still have a narrow lead... just.

22'

Svensson heads wide

After a period of sustained Arsenal pressure, Dortmund create an opening of their own. Beier swings in a deep cross from the left side, picking out Svensson at the far post. He gets his head to the ball but can't steer it on target.

17'

Sharp goalkeeping

Havertz is away and clear down the right channel. He squares the ball towards Gyökeres at the back post, but Meyer does very well to get down low and collect the attempted cross.

17'

High and wide

Gyökeres hits the free kick, but it's a poor effort which flies well over the crossbar.

15'

Big chance for the hosts

For the first time, Ødegaard manages to get in behind the Dortmund back line after a nice ball from Havertz. He is then brought down by Mané just outside the Dortmund box, and is awarded a free kick. It's a good opportunity for Arsenal to equalise...

10'

Warning for Bellingham

The BVB midfield goes in a bit too firmly on Havertz in the middle of the pitch, and is warned by the referee as a result. He isn't reaching for the yellow card just yet.

Dortmund lead!

What a start from BVB! Silva starts the move on the edge of the Arsenal box, playing the ball centrally to Nmecha. The German international then threads a delightful through ball to the onrushing Inácio, who finds the far corner of the net from seven yards out. That was lovely football from the visitors, who have silenced the Emirates early on.

© CARLOS JASSO

7'

Samuele Inácio

GOAL!

0:1

4'

Nice play from Beier

The Dortmund winger collects the ball on the left side of the Arsenal penalty area and checks back onto his right foot. He plays a clever through ball into the path of Svensson, but the Swede can't quite connect with the ball.

3'

Big save!

The corner is met by Mosquera at the near post, who flicks the ball on. It takes a wicked deflection off a Dortmund defender, but Meyer is alive to the danger and tips the ball over the crossbar.

1'

We're underway

Arsenal get the game going in their familiar red and white strip. They've won a very early corner kick.

Kick-off!

Here come the players

The two sets of players are emerging from the tunnel. We're moments away from kick off...

What is the Emirates Cup?

The Emirates Cup is an annual pre-season football tournament hosted by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London. First held in 2007, the competition traditionally brings together some of Europe’s biggest clubs for a high-profile friendly match ahead of the new season. This is Dortmund's first appearance in the competition, which has been won by Arsenal for the past four seasons in a row.

© John Walton via www.imago-images.de

Arsenal team news

Meanwhile, Arsenal have only made two changes from the side that lost 3-1 to Real Betis in their most recent friendly match. Brazilian international Gabriel replaces Hincapié in the backline, while Ødegaard makes his pre-season bow in place of Nwaneri. Former Bayer Leverkusen man Havertz also starts in midfield for the Gunners.

© IMAGO/Goal Sports Images

Dortmund team news

Head coach Niko Kovač has made five changes from the side that defeated Toyko FC in their last pre-season match. Meyer, Bensebaini, Gadou and Mané all come into the starting XI, alongside summer signing Karetsas - who is set to make his BVB debut. Star midfielder Nmecha has been given the Dortmund armband this afternoon, in the absence of club captain Emre Can.

© DFL/Getty Images/Lukas Schulze

Starting line-up: Arsenal

Formation:4-3-3

13

Kepa Arrizabalaga

33

Riccardo Calafiori

3

Gabriel

Cristhian Mosquera

Ben White

7

Kai Havertz

49

Myles Lewis-Skelly

10

Martin Ødegaard

8

Christos Tzolis

17

Viktor Gyökeres

56

Max Dowman

Arsenal subs

Meslier, Setford, Hincapié, Jesus, Martinelli, Viera, Nwaneri, Nelson, Ibrahim, Kabia, Ogunnaike, Julienne, O'Neill, Salmon.

Starting line-up: Borussia Dortmund

Formation:3-4-2-1

33

Alexander Meyer

39

Filippo Mané

5

Ramy Bensebaini

22

Joane Gadou

14

Maximilian Beier

8

Felix Nmecha

7

Jobe Bellingham

24

Daniel Svensson

40

Samuele Inácio

19

Konstantinos Karetsas

21

Fabio Silva

Dortmund subs

Drewes, Guirassy, Chukwuemeka, Sabitzer, Lerma, Prates, Albert, Kabar, Yamamoto, Reggiani, Riedl.

Early team news

In addition to Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Mussa Kaba, who are currently in rehab, Gregor Kobel and Julian Ryerson will be absent from the Arsenal match after returning from vacation two days ago. Waldemar Anton (training supervision) and Diant Ramaj (individual training) are also not part of the squad in London. However, the likes of Felix Nmecha, Maximilian Beier and Marcel Sabitzer have travelled for the friendly after linking up with the squad in Japan.

© IMAGO/Revierfoto

Play video

0:23

Watch: Karetsas greets fans at Gyros joint

Will we see Karetsas?

One of the big talking points heading into the Arsenal vs Dortmund clash concerns summer signing Konstantinos Karetsas. The Greek teenager, who joined Dortmund from Genk, is yet to make his debut for the Yellow and Blacks. However, after being included in the squad to face the Gunners, that could be about to change.

© IMAGO/One Inch Productions

Play video

0:38

Watch: Konstantinos Karetsas on joining BVB

Head-to-head record

Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal are familiar foes, having met eight times competitively, with all of those encounters coming in the UEFA Champions League. Arsenal hold a slight edge with four wins to Dortmund’s three, while one game ended in a draw. Their most recent meetings came in the 2014/15 group stage, with BVB winning 2-0 at home before Arsenal responded with a 2-0 victory of their own at the Emirates.

© IMAGO/Domenic Aquilina

Book issues update on Nmecha's future

Borussia Dortmund sporting director Ole Book says he can "pretty much rule out" a transfer for star midfielder Felix Nmecha this summer. The German international, who starred for Die Nationalelf at this summer's World Cup, has been heavily linked with a host of European clubs.

© IMAGO/Laci Perenyi

Arsenal's pre-season so far

The Gunners triumphed 3-0 over English third-tier outfit MK Dons in their first friendly of the summer before beating Spanish side Girona 4-1. They face 2025/26 UEFA Europa League quarter-finalists Real Betis in Dublin on Wednesday, four days before welcoming Dortmund to Emirates Stadium.

© GLYN KIRK

Dortmund's pre-season so far

With the FIFA World Cup having taken place this summer, many clubs have had a rather staggered pre-season, including both Dortmund and Arsenal. Dortmund's preparations began with a 3-1 win over Rot-Weiß Oberhausen before Fortuna Düsseldorf stunned BVB with a 2-1 victory. After that, the Dortmund squad jetted off to Japan, where they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Cerezo Osaka before finishing their tour with a 1-0 win over FC Tokyo.

© IMAGO/Ken Asakura

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Thank you for joining us for build-up and live match coverage of Borussia Dortmund's pre-season friendly with Arsenal as we approach the start of the 2026/27 season.

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