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Late Dembele double helps Lyon snatch win from Arsenal


Bangladeshpost
Published : 29 Jul 2019 05:41 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 09:29 AM

Lyon substitute Moussa Dembele scored two second-half goals as they came from behind to beat Arsenal in the pre-season Emirates Cup final, BBC reports.

Brazilian teenager Gabriel Martinelli thought he had scored the winner when his goal was ruled out for offside seconds before Dembele put Lyon 2-1 up.

Martinelli made his first appearance at Emirates Stadium as a substitute, with fellow new signing Dani Ceballos.Pierre-Emerick Aubame­yang's volley had given Arsenal a first-half lead. The Gabon international hit the outside of the post late in the second half, almost chipping Lyon keeper Anthony Racioppi from the edge of the box.

Arsenal were forced to reshape early on as Alexandre Lacazette, facing his former club, was substituted in the 12th minute, moments after receiving treatment on the touchline. Aubameyang's volley in the 36th minute was cancelled out by Dembele's first - a powerful header into the bottom right corner.

And there was drama late on as Martinelli's strike was ruled out seconds before Dembele went up the other end and slotted it past a stationary Bernd Leno to double his tally. New signing Ceballos, who joins on loan from Real Madrid, was given a standing ovation when he and Martinelli were introduced late in the second half.

The 22-year-old Spanish international had little time to make an impact but enjoyed the occasion, taking time at the end of the match to thank supporters.

Prior to kick-off, there was a period of applause in memory of former Arsenal player Jose Antonio Reyes, who died in a car accident in June. Arsenal head coach Unai Emery opted to rest midfielder Mesut Ozil and defender Sead Kolasinac after the pair were involved in a car-jacking attempt on Thursday.

The pair escaped uninjured, along with a female passenger, in the attack in north-west London, and later posted a picture on Twitter with the caption "think we're fine".

Kolasinac was also seen in CCTV footage chasing off one of the carjackers.

Their exclusion from the squad was one of several talking points as a busy week for the club included the announcement of their two 

new signings and another one impending.

Arsenal have an agreement with French club Lille to sign winger Nicolas Pepe in a deal worth £72m which puts Henrikh Mkhitaryan's place in the side under question.

The 30-year-old Armenian has been hit and miss since his move from Manchester United in January 2018 and was keen to impress, firing a dangerous volley at Lyon keeper Anthony Lopes before his fizzing cross set up Aubameyang's opener.

Mkhitaryan, who had to miss last season's Europa League final because of fears for his safety in Baku, has started three of the past four pre-season matches and was impressive at Emirates Stadium.