Dortmund Stun Arsenal 3-2 to Lift Emirates Cup in Thrilling Emirates Clash

Borussia Dortmund defeated Arsenal 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday to win the 2026 Emirates Cup, leaving the Premier League champions still waiting to claim the pre-season trophy. The result also handed Mikel Arteta’s side consecutive defeats in their latest preparations for the new campaign.

Dortmund made the brighter start and took the lead inside the opening 10 minutes. Felix Nmecha supplied a precise pass into the Arsenal penalty area, where Samuele Inacio finished calmly into the far corner to give the visitors an early advantage.

The German side continued to pose problems and doubled their advantage before half-time. Teenage midfielder Konstantinos Karetsas produced a composed finish from the edge of the area, curling the ball beyond the Arsenal goalkeeper to put Dortmund 2-0 ahead.

Arsenal responded strongly after the interval and reduced the deficit eight minutes into the second half. Ethan Nwaneri swept the ball home following a cross from Christos Tzolis, giving the hosts renewed hope of turning the contest around.

However, Dortmund quickly restored their two-goal cushion. Joane Gadou reacted quickest from a corner and forced the ball home in the 55th minute, putting the visitors 3-1 ahead and leaving Arsenal with another uphill task.

Arsenal were handed another route back into the contest when Tzolis was brought down inside the Dortmund area. Viktor Gyökeres stepped up to take the resulting penalty and confidently converted, reducing the deficit to 3-2 with enough time remaining for the Gunners to seek an equaliser.

The hosts pressed for a late leveller and thought they had found it deep into stoppage time when Gabriel Martinelli put the ball in the net. The effort, however, was ruled out for offside, denying Arsenal what would have been a dramatic late equaliser.

Dortmund ultimately held on to secure a 3-2 victory and lift the Emirates Cup. The defeat means Arsenal’s bid to win the competition on home soil remains unfulfilled, while the German visitors left London with the pre-season silverware.

Interestingly, the post-match proceedings also included a penalty shootout, which Arsenal won 5-4. That shootout result did not change the official 3-2 Emirates Cup outcome, with Dortmund having already secured the trophy through their victory in normal time.

The defeat also represents another warning sign for Arsenal ahead of the new season, coming shortly after their 3-1 pre-season loss to Real Betis. Nevertheless, the Emirates Cup is a pre-season competition, and Arteta will have an opportunity to use the remaining preparation period to address the defensive vulnerabilities exposed by consecutive three-goal defeats.