Arsenal wrap up Australian tour with victory – Last-gasp Dortmund edge Reds

This news has been read 6317 times!

SYDNEY, July 15, (AFP): Arsenal wrapped up their Australian tour with a 3-1 win over the Western Sydney Wanderers with all their goals coming in the first half in Sydney on Saturday.

The Gunners scored their goals in a 11-minute period late in the first half through Olivier Giroud, Aaron Ramsey and Mohamed Elneny with Spanish defender Nacho Monreal standing out with two assists.

The English giants were held scoreless in the second half with the 2014 Asian Champion League winners pulling a goal back off an indirect free kick from Steven Lustica.

Arsenal leave for China winning both games on their first tour to Australia in 40 years after beating A-League champions Sydney FC 2-0 on Thursday.

“They made it quite physical for us, they pushed us a little bit and we played very well for long periods in the first half,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.

“The players who came on in the second half gave us more impetus and we finished strongly, unfortunately we couldn’t score any more but overall it was a positive game.”

The game drew 83,221 fans for a two-game total of 163,653 for Arsenal’s visit.

“The support out here is truly amazing, we probably didn’t realise the amount of support we had out here in Australia, it’s truly incredible,” attacker Theo Walcott said.

Arsenal broke away with three goals late in the opening half after a competitive opening.

French striker Giroud made a sweet first-time finish at the near post after a strong overlapping run from Monreal in the 33rd minute and they were two-up a few minutes later.

Monreal found Ramsey with a long ball and he lobbed goalkeeper Janjetovic on the edge of the box.

The Gunners grabbed a third goal nearing half-time when Egyptian Elneny’s long-range volley deflected off defender Brendan Hamill’s leg past Janjetovic into the unguarded net.

Gunners’ record signing Frenchman Alexandre Lacazette showcased his dazzling skills when he turned his marker and fired a shot at the keeper in the opening minutes.

Elneny came close to a second goal when another long-range shot cannoned off the underside of the bar with Janjetovic beaten minutes after the resumption.

But the Wanderers stuck at it and Jack Clisby clipped the bar with a drive and Ramsey conceded a free kick with a back pass to substitute goalkeeper Emi Martinez.

Lustica hammered the indirect free kick against Monreal on the goal-line and put the rebound into the roof of the net for his team’s opener in the 57th minute.

Wenger substituted every outfield player after 66 minutes with Lacazette and Giroud among those to come off.

The Gunners came close to adding to their tally in the final stages with Mesut Ozil and Eddie Nketiah hitting the post and Theo Walcott having a sharp chance saved by goalkeeper Janjetovic.

Arsenal now head to China for further games against Bayern Munich in Shanghai and Chelsea in Beijing.

Germany forward Andre Schurrle smashed a late winner as Borussia Dortmund beat Japan’s Urawa Reds 3-2 on their Far East preseason tour Saturday.

Turkey striker Emre Mor scored a quickfire double to cancel out Shinzo Kuroki’s volleyed opener, before Reds defender Wataru Endo restored parity with a free header five minutes from time in Saitama.

But there was still time for Schurrle to give Dortmund a winning start to their Asian tour as he rifled home from an acute angle with two minutes remaining, much to the relief of new Dortmund manager Peter Bosz.

The Dutchman had cut a forlorn figure in Dortmund’s 3-2 humbling by fourth-tier Rot-Weiss Essen in their opening preseason game earlier this week but his side looked sharper against Urawa despite stifling humidity.

Japan playmaker Shinji Kagawa, who dislocated his shoulder playing in a World Cup qualifier last month, did not play after extending his contract with the Bundesliga club until 2020 on Friday.

“I really wanted to get on but but we came here to win so it’s nice to get the result,” said the former Manchester United midfielder.

“It’s a new start for us so we all need to do is pull together and work hard for the new coach.”

The match was also notable for Germany Mario Gotze’s return to action for the first time since January after being diagnosed with metabolic problems.

Dortmund, who face a summer bidding war for striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with Chelsea and Liverpool reportedly the front-runners for the Gabon hitman’s signature, play AC Milan in Guangzhou on Tuesday.

This news has been read 6317 times!