Arsenal defeated Italian side Como 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday in their final pre-season friendly.
The match marked the debut of Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, who came on at half-time for his first appearance in an Arsenal shirt. Guimaraes played the final 45 minutes of the contest and scored from the penalty spot during the decisive shootout.
Arsenal opened the scoring in the 33rd minute through Lewis-Skelly, who capitalised on a mistake in playing out from the back by Como goalkeeper Butez. The Italian team responded shortly afterwards when Baturina equalised with a fine strike to bring Como level.
Debuts and pre-season results
Como, managed by former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, also handed a debut to a new Brazilian signing. Left-back Kaiki Bruno featured for the Italian side for the first time following his recent transfer after a spell with Brazilian club Cruzeiro.
Fabregas returned to Emirates Stadium as an opposing manager, having previously spent eight years as a player at Arsenal, where he made over 300 appearances and served as club captain before moving into management.
The penalty victory concluded a mixed pre-season schedule for Arsenal, who won only one of their final three warm-up fixtures. Prior to the draw against Como, the Gunners suffered defeats against German Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund and Spanish La Liga side Betis.
Community Shield kickoff at Wembley
Arsenal now turn their focus to the official start of the 2026-27 season on Sunday, August 16. The Gunners face Manchester City in the FA Community Shield, the traditional English season opener held at Wembley Stadium in London.
The showpiece fixture between last season's Premier League title contenders is scheduled to kick off at 11:00 am Brasilia time as both teams seek their first silverware of the new campaign.
