Borussia Dortmund beat Arsenal 3-2 to lift Emirates Cup
Dortmund won 3-2 at Emirates Stadium on August 9, 2026 and claimed the Emirates Cup after exploiting Arsenal mistakes.
Borussia Dortmund beat English champions Arsenal 3-2 on Arsenal’s pitch and lifted the Emirates Cup after a summer friendly that featured early Arsenal dominance and costly defensive lapses.
The match at Emirates Stadium on August 9, 2026 opened in Arsenal’s favour: in the 7th minute Felix Nmecha found Samuele Inacio on the left of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s goal and Inacio converted to give Arsenal the lead.
Quick reply and mistakes punished
Shortly before the half hour mark Daniel Svensson released Konstantinos Karecas down the right; Karecas got the ball onto his left foot and struck from the edge of the box to double Borussia Dortmund’s advantage.
Nine minutes after the second half began Ethan Nwaneri received a pass from Christos Tsolis inside the area and pulled one back for Arsenal. Dortmund reacted almost immediately and in the 58th minute scored their third: from a corner the home defence lost concentration and the ball reached Joan Gadu, who squeezed a low finish past Arsenal’s goalkeeper.
Arsenal continued to press and were awarded a penalty in the 69th minute; Viktor Gjokeresh converted from the spot, sending the ball past Alex Maier, but it proved insufficient as Dortmund held on to win 3-2 and take the trophy.
Match details and the final score underline how quickly momentum can shift in pre-season fixtures—an early lead for Arsenal, a resilient comeback by Dortmund and decisive errors that cost the hosts the cup. Zoran Gjorshoski
Photo: press material from the event
