Arsenal ended their pre-season campaign with a narrow penalty-shootout victory over Como after the two teams played out an entertaining 1–1 draw at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners entered the match hoping to finish their preparations for the new season on a positive note. Instead, they were given another serious test by a Como side that looked comfortable enough to compete with the Premier League champions.
Arsenal eventually broke the deadlock through Myles Lewis-Skelly, who continued his impressive development by finding the back of the net. The goal gave the home supporters something to celebrate, but Arsenal could not hold on to their advantage for long.
Como responded through Martin Baturina, whose equaliser brought the Italian side back into the contest. From there, the match became increasingly competitive, with both teams creating opportunities but struggling to find the decisive second goal.
Arsenal had chances to win the match in normal time. Kai Havertz even thought he had scored late on, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. With neither side able to break the deadlock, the game went to the penalty shootout.
That proved to be another test of Arsenal’s composure. The Gunners eventually prevailed 4–3, with Christos Tzolis scoring the decisive penalty to seal the victory.
There was also a special moment for Bruno Guimarães, who made his Arsenal debut after coming on during the second half. The midfielder received a huge reception from the Emirates crowd and immediately became one of the major talking points of the night.
It was not the perfect performance from Arsenal, but the result gives them something positive to take away from their final friendly. More importantly, the players now have the opportunity to put pre-season behind them and focus fully on competitive football.
