Arsenal, with Christos Tzolis as the undisputed star and “MVP”—who recorded two assists in his official debut with the English champions—put on a show of strength, defeating Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield.
The “Gunners” took the lead just 23 seconds in with a goal by Calafiori, “stunning” the “Citizens,” doubled their lead in the 28th minute with a header by Havertz off a pass from Joli, and sealed their first trophy of the season at the start of the second half, with Tzoli’s second assist and a magnificent goal by Edegard.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
In contrast, the performance of Enzo Maresca’s team—in the Italian’s debut—was disappointing. The “Citizens” were out of their depth, clearly weakened by Rodri’s absence (he was left out of the squad and is on the verge of joining Barcelona), and were unable to put up a competitive fight.
As for the “Gunners,” they’re off to a perfect start to the season, as just a few months after winning the Premier League, they managed to lift yet another trophy, proving in practice why they’re considered favorites for this year’s championship as well.
The starting lineups for the match
Arsenal (Mikel Arteta): Raya, White, Magalhães, Mosquera, Calafiori (60’ Incapie), Guimarães (46’ Rice), Lewis-Skelli (75’ Thubimendi), Odegaard (84’ Eze), Mandueke (60’ Saka), Jolis, Havertz (75’ Jokers).
Manchester City (Enzo Maresca): Donnarumma, O’Reilly (54’ Guehi), Gvardiol, Dias, Kusano, Elliot Anderson (60’ Rico Lewis), Kovačić (60’ Nico González), Foden (60’ Serki), Doku (46’ Grilis), Semenio, Haaland (53’ Marmous).
*photo source: AP
