Summary
It was a nine-minute period towards the end of the first half that did for Lyon today: Arsenal’s ruthless finishing putting them into a 4-0 lead at the break. After Grenier went off injured in the 24th minute, Lyon didn’t look the same team and even after their collapse, never really showed any fight, which will be a worry to Fournier.
Arsenal were dominant, with Oxlade-Chamberlain particularly impressing, and that’s another pre-season match with no injuries. Wenger will be chuffed.
In the Emirates Cup, one point is awarded for every goal scored, as well as the customary three for a win, so Arsenal sit top of the table with nine points after one game, with Villarreal second on five after their 2-1 win over Wolfsburg earlier.
Arsenal will play the German side tomorrow, and Villarreal will play Lyon, so tune in for that. Thanks for reading, and for your emails and tweets. Bye!
Full-time: Arsenal 6-0 Lyon
What a pasting.
90 min: Lacazette tries to pass to Tolisso, but instead kicks it out of play. One minute added here.
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89 min: Great save from Lopes, who comes out to block Walcott’s shot, after a sumptuous reverse pass from Cazorla. 7-0 would just be a bit rude, wouldn’t it?
87 min: Great work from Hayden helps to release Akpom, who once again goes alone, hitting the top of the near post with a fierce shot.
GOAL! Arsenal 6-0 Lyon (Cazorla 85)
Tolisso and Gonalons jump in the Lyon wall, and Cazorla skims a daisy-cutter underneath them into the far corner. Clever Santi! Much like this free-kick from Ronaldinho back in the day, except Cazorla hit it with his left.
84 min: Akpom sets off again, dribbling with the ball for a good 40 yards before being bundled over just outside the area. Free-kick in a very dangerous area, and Cazorla is over the ball. He could strike this with either his left or right foot, Arsenal’s very own Ronnie O’Sullivan.
80 min: Ferri dinks a delicious ball over the head of Mertesacker – no mean feat, that – into the path of Lacazette, but the striker slices his volley wide. He’s been quiet today but I guess that’s what happens when you are a striker in a team that’s losing 5-0.
79 min: Arsenal make their final change: Isaac Hayden comes on for Francis Coquelin.
76 min: The tempo has dropped since the subs have come on, which is a shame. Up until this point, the pace of the game had been positively break-neck for a pre-season match.
74 min: Fournier hasn’t made any subs by choice today, just the one after Grenier was injured. It’s as though he’s punishing his players. Testing for the fitness, this.
@michaelbutler18 just by getting Umtiti, Tolisso, Fekir, Ferri & Lopes on new contracts I think they've concluded the best Ligue 1 business.
— Rich Allen (@rich_allen85) July 25, 2015
70 min: Couple more subs from Arsenal: Jeff Reine-Adelaide, who is just 17, comes on for Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott comes on for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
68 min: “This is going to be an interesting season for OL,” emails Thomas Price, “with a move to a new stadium on the way and a talented young squad of mostly home grown players with the Euro on their minds. If we are able to hold on to Lacazette and everyone stays healthy (an issue with Grenier and Fofana, who is out until the new year) we should be able to mount a challenge in the league and make a decent cup run. Contending with a behemoth like PSG makes winning the league almost an impossibility, but last year at the start of the season you’d told me we’d finish second I would never have believed you, so I hold out some hope that the capital club might implode and Lyon could seize the opportunity. Fekir and Tolisso had phenomenal seasons last year and could really push on, but Lyon desperately need reinforcements in defense if they are to progress from last year. I would be satisfied with a good cup run and a finish in the CL places, and would be overjoyed if they made it out of the group stage in Europe.”
66 min: Akpom starts brightly, dribbling past Zeffane to bring the fans off their seats. He can only manage a weak shot though. Cazorla puts a cheeky nutmeg in on Tolisso. Tidy.
64 min: And that will be Ozil’s final act, as Arsenal make a triple substitution: Ozil, Ramsey and Iwobi off, Akpom, Cazorla and Arteta on.
GOAL! Arsenal 5-0 Lyon (Ozil 61)
Not the prettiest goal we’ve had all day, but again it was emphatically finished. Ozil attempts to play a one-two with Giroud but the ball is intercepted, it pinballs around a bit, but then Giroud lays the ball off back to Ozil, and the World Cup winner slams the ball into the far corner from 20 yards out. Great technique.
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59 min: Lyon’s legs appear to be waning, they keep losing possession in dangerous areas. Ferri is the latest to make a mistake, and only a good Lopes save from a weak Debuchy shot gets his team out of trouble.
57 min: Gibbs get forward and whips the ball in from the left and Giroud bullets a first-time volley just wide. Lopes had no chance if that was on target!
54 min: Chance for N’Jie! Lyon hit Arsenal on the counter-attack with all of the front-three involved. Lacazette picks up a clearance and plays the ball inside to Fekir, who moves it along to N’Jie. The young striker lashes it wide of the near post when he might have been better advised to take another touch.
53 min: Looks like Gonalons is going to continue. Lyon fans breathe a sigh of relief.
51 min: Things going from bad to worse for Lyon: 4-0 down, one of their best players in Grenier injured and now their captain, Gonalons, is down. It’s unclear exactly what the problem is, but manager Hubert Fournier is wearing a very worried expression.
50 min: Oxlade-Chamberlain races clear again – he’s cutting Jenssen to ribbons here. The England man has pace to burn and cuts in on his left foot to shoot, but Rose just gets back and gets a toe in to deflect the ball behind.
48 min: I have to say I’ve been hugely impressed by Oxlade-Chamberlain today. He’s got his goal, but his all-round play has been excellent, testing Jenssen constantly on the right flank. He tracks back so well, surely if he can stay fit this season, he’s a certain starter. He starts the second half by selling Jenssen a clever dummy, collecting a pass from Giroud and putting in a dangerous cross, which is cleared by Zeffane.
Peeep peep! We’re underway again, no substitutions made!
That match against Benfica was also where Hector Bellerin made a lasting impression. Up until that point, he had hardly featured in the first team. Here’s what he had to say in today’s match programme.
It was probably one of the games that was a real turning point of my career. It was a great experience, against a great team and the whole side put in a really good performance, hopefully we can do it again this year.
Half-time entertainment:
You might remember that at last year’s Emirates Cup, Arsenal were also rampant, putting five past Benfica. Yaya Sanogo scored four – haha. They are well on the way to repeating that score today.
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Half-time: Arsenal 4-0 Lyon
What an end to the half! Four shots on target, four goals!
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43 min: Martinez makes a smart double save, firstly denying Lacazette’s curling effort from outside the box, and then as N’Jie collects the rebound and feeds Jenssen again, the keeper does well to collect the ball. Lyon need something to go their way!
GOAL! Arsenal 4-0 Lyon (Ramsey 38)
This is getting silly now. Ozil peels to the left, and picks one of the most sublime passes to Ramsey who nips in at the near post and squeezes the ball past Lopes. 4-0! Zeffane gave the German far too much time and space to pick that pass, but what a pass it was– Ramsey didn’t have to break his stride. Nine minutes of mayhem.
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36 min: Arsenal have the ball in the net again, but this time it’s disallowed! Almost a carbon copy of the first goal, as Ozil delivers for Giroud, but the Frenchman can only direct his effort into the path of Iwobi who taps in at the back post. But the youngster was offside! Just!
GOAL! Arsenal 3-0 Lyon (Iwobi 34)
Lyon are falling apart at the seams! But this football is fantastic from Arsenal. Oxlade-Chamberlain nicks the ball off Gonalons in the middle of the park and suddenly Arsenal are five on four. It’s simply a case of picking the right pass, and Ramsey does just that, feeding Iwobi off the left, who finishes first time into the top corner. Mouthwatering stuff.
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GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Lyon (Oxlade-Chamberlain 31)
Arsenal score again, hitting Lyon the counter-attack to devastating effect! Giroud holds the ball up brilliantly, worms his way out of trouble and finds Oxlade-Chamberlin, who races clear and finishes expertly with a low finish inside the far post.
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GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Lyon (Giroud 28)
Simple as you like: Ozil swings in a free kick into the box, Giroud rises and shoulders the ball into the corner. 1-0!
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27 min: Ozil is through! He latches onto a Ramsey pass and breaks the offside trap. A faster player might have been able to take the ball in his stride, but Ozil dallies, waits for the defender to recover, cuts inside and promptly falls over as he swings with his weaker right foot! Waste!
24 min: Oh no! Grenier is down! He completely mis-hit a pass and collapsed in a heap. There was nobody around him, he’s clutching his left hip. It’s looking ominous for him, he’s visibly distraught and he hobbles back to the bench. Grenier only made seven appearances last season for Lyon due to injury, so he’s had some rotten luck.
22 min: If you’re wondering where Alexis Sanchez or Jack Wilshere are today: Sanchez is still on extended leave following his Copa American exploits (along with Ospina) and Wilshere is ill, apparently. He is in contention for Arsenal’s game tomorrow against Wolfsburg.
20 min: Debuchy whips a cross in for Giroud and the striker gets up above Rose and Umtiti but he can’t get power nor direction on the header.
16 min: Yellow card for Rose, he went in late on Coquelin after a bad touch meant the ball got away from him. That’s actually a terrible tackle, going studs up on the Arsenal man’s calf.
14 min: Ramsey slips the ball to Giroud, who tries a shot. Oh dear, that was going out for a throw in before Umtiti got the block in.
11 min: Chance for N’Jie, great save by Martinez! With his back to goal, Lacazette flicks it round the corner and N’Jie breaks the offside trap. He’s on his weaker left, and is forced a little wide by the back-tracking Mertesacker, but smashes a fierce shot at goal. Well parried by Martinez, he was off his line quickly.
9 min: Iwobi gets clear of Zeffane and chooses to square the pass to Ramsey in a shooting position, but the ball is just behind the Welshman. That’s typical of Iwobi on this pre-season. Flashes of brilliance, but little end-product.
7 min: Gibbs inexplicably runs the ball out of play. It’s safe to say that he’s Monreal’s deputy at the moment. Today is a big game for the England international, he has a chance to impress against some top-class opposition.
6 min: Lyon controlling possession but it’s all a bit pedestrian at the minute. If we have any Lyon fans out there, do get in touch via michael.butler@theguardian.com or @michaelbutler18 and let me know what your hopes and dreams are for this season, another tilt at the title? What would you be happy with in the Champions League?
4 min: Lazazette comes short and then spins in behind, losing Koscielny in the process. The lofted pass from Ferri is just too strong and Martinez comes out to collect. A yard or two off that pass and Lacazette was in there.
2 min: Iwobi cuts in off the left and plays a neat one-two pass with Giroud, but Gonalons gets across to close the space. Iwobi gets a round of applause from the crowd.
Peeeep peeeep! And we’re off!
The teams are out! It’s The Gunners v Les Gones (The Kids). Let’s do this!
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I’ve mentioned how pristine the pitch is … it’s like a carpet out there. It’s finished Wolfsburg 1-2 Villarreal, by the way.
Must say the pitch at the Emirates is looking fresh @Arsenal #CARPET pic.twitter.com/cLzAWQDpDt
— Darren McLoughlin (@miffy84) July 25, 2015
Thx to the Afc staff for preparing the green for the @emirates 🏆! It looks like it's been cut to perfection with a nail ✂ #askmeificanassist
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) July 25, 2015
Indeed this Lyon team is hugely loved by the club’s supporters, not least because nearly the entire squad was brought through the club’s youth system. Today, only one player of the starting XI, Lindsay Rose, has not been part of the club’s academy. That’s a quite remarkable statistic for a team competing domestically against PSG, and in the Champions League.
Not only that, but many of the players, including Fekir and Lacazette, were born in Lyon. The fans see them as one of their own. They love Lyon, Lyon love them.
Fekir signed a new five-year contract in June. He won’t leave this season, that’s for sure. I, for one, hope he stays.
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So no home debut for Cech, and Iwobi has got the nod ahead of Akpom, which seems a little strange in my book, considering how profligate Iwobi was in front of goal against Singapore Select XI. Akpom scored a hat-trick that day, too.
Fekir isn’t starting for Lyon, which is a disappointment. I was lucky enough to go to Lyon’s final home match of last season against Bordeaux, and was talking to some of the local fans there; they rate Fekir well ahead of Lacazette in terms of how important he is for the team. Fekir is Lyon’s architect, a little pocket-rocket, and it was him that scored that day in a 1-1 draw.
Today’s teams:
Arsenal: Martinez, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Coquelin, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Iwobi, Giroud
Subs: Cech, Gabriel, Monreal, Chambers, Bellerin, Hayden, Arteta, Cazorla, Reine-Adelaide, Walcott, Akpom
Lyon: Lopes, Zeffane, Rose, Umtiti, Jenssen, Gonalons, Ferri, Tolisso, Grenier, Njie, Lacazette
Subs: Mocio, Beauvue, Mvuemba, Labidi, Fekir, Mboubouni, D’Arpino.
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The other two teams in this tournament, Wolfsburg and Villarreal, are currently playing their little hearts out on the pristine Emirates pitch. Nicklas Bendtner has just come off the Wolfsburg bench to a rapturous reception from the north London crowd. He, sadly, hasn’t scored yet. It’s 2-1 to Villarreal at the moment.
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Preamble
We might be a way off the Premier League starting (two weeks) but after a barren summer (save for the excellent Women’s World Cup) you have been forced to spend the first part of their weekends not ignoring the Saturday sunshine, not ignoring your mates, not ignoring the cries of your offspring. But now, raise your phone/tablet/laptop, it’s Saturday afternoon and FOOTBALL IS BACK. Kind of.
The Emirates Cup has long been a nice way for Arsenal to set up their season, this year the three other teams involved are Lyon, Wolfsburg and Villarreal. Arsenal have had a good pre-season so far, beating a Singapore Select XI 4-0 and Everton 3-1, and have been able to blood some youngsters whilst avoiding any injuries.
Lyon are good at football. We know this because they spent a large part on top of Ligue 1 last season ahead of PSG, only falling away in the last couple of weeks of the season. We know this because their best two players, Nabil Fekir and Alexandre Lacazette, have been widely coveted by Europe’s top clubs, including Arsenal. We know this.
It should be a goodun, kick off is at 4.20pm BST.
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