CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There was only one thing that was memorable about the friendly between Arsenal and ACF Fiorentina on Saturday at Bank of America Stadium.
It wasn’t the less-than-half capacity announced crowd of 34,902 fans who braved sweltering temperatures of up to 92 degrees. It wasn’t the sloppy play of Fiorentina, who were a late addition into the International Champions Cup after fellow Serie A side AS Roma pulled out. And it wasn’t the 89th minute goal from Joe Willock — although it was a fine strike from the 19-year-old Arsenal academy product.
What Arsenal supporters and fans of the English Premier League will remember about this preseason match was the breakout performance from Eddie Nketiah. The 20-year-old put forth a brilliant performance, netting a pair of goals and guiding the Gunners to a 3-0 win over Fiorentina at the home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.
Folks in the crowd wearing red shirts — which made up the majority of those who bought tickets to the match — broke out in chants of “Ed-die! Ed-die!” after Nketiah found the back of the net the second time, in the 66th minute.
Afterwards, he was praised by second-year Arsenal manager Unai Emery and star forward Alexandre Lacazette.
“Today, (Nketiah) played well,” Lacazette said. “He scored two goals for the team, so that is obviously good for us, but he also ran a lot for the team. The team worked a lot for him, so everything is good.”
Added Emery: “Very happy with Eddie. Last year, in small moments, when we could give him chances to be on the pitch, he made (the most of it). With his progress, I can’t complain.”
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Nketiah, who began his youth career in Chelsea’s academy before joining Arsenal’s, netted his first goal in the 15th minute. As fullback Sead Kolasinac bombed up the left flank, Nketiah found some open space in front of the net and waited for his teammates’s cross. When the low ball was delivered, the youngster — showing patience and composure in the penalty area — trapped it with his right foot, spun around, took a soft touch with his left foot, then used his right foot again to blast the ball past Fiorentina keeper Bartlomiej Dragowski.
Last season, Nketiah netted 10 goals and assisted on four others in 11 appearances with Arsenal’s U-23 side. With the senior team, he scored once in nine games. When asked in the post-game mixed zone who he looked up to as a child, Nketiah cited former Arsenal and New York Red Bulls striker Thierry Henry, calling him “one of my idols.”
“I saw the play break down. There was a nice combination and I just tried to keep up my play,” Nketiah said of his first score. “The cross was a bit behind me, so I adjusted with the first touch, saw the defender was going to try to block it and make his tackle, so I just tried to shift the angle. Thankfully, it went in.”
Check out today's match highlight brought to you by @budlight.
Nketiah with the clinical finish despite being surrounded by bodies! pic.twitter.com/ZNkBzBP13g
— House of Soccer (@houseofsoccerfc) July 21, 2019
Nketiah’s second goal came after build-up from Lacazette and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. While the duo ultimately put Nketiah in position to score, it was a sequence that featured five different Gunners getting a touch on the ball. It ended with Nketiah tucking away an easy finish with one touch from his right foot, but a few Fiorentina players were frustrated with the referee, believing that a foul should’ve been called in the build-up.
Despite the scoreline, Fiorentina had its chances. The Italian side out-shot Arsenal 18-12 and put eight of those shots on-target, keeping Gunners’ keeper Emi Martinez busy between the pipes. Still, the Purples couldn’t break through. Arsenal controlled 59 percent of possession.
“It was partly due to the heat and the quality of play of Arsenal. They were very organized in the second half,” Fiorentina manager Vincenzo Montella said through a translator. “I was displeased with the second goal; I thought that maybe could have been a foul. Overall, I don’t think the 3-0 result was deserved by our team. We played better than that.”
The game was put on ice for the Gunners in the 89th minute, when again, build-up from Lacazette and Mkhitaryan led to a goal. This time — with Nketiah being subbed off in the 79th minute — it was Willock who scored, finishing with his right foot inside the penalty area.
Nketiah has now seen action in three preseason contests for the Gunners, scoring three times. His breakout performance might lead to a dilemma for Emery. Will Nketiah be loaned out to a lower division club where he can maximize his playing time? Or will Emery keep him around as a potential key reserve, in case there is an injury to Lacazette or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang?
“We’ll see what happens in the future. At the moment I’m just enjoying the preseason tour and then decisions will be made,” Nketiah said. “I’m working in hard in training, working hard on the pitch. I just want to keep pushing and keep working… I want to be playing regularly.”
Arsenal will finish its U.S. tour off on Tuesday, when it faces Real Madrid at Fed Ex Field in Landover, Maryland. Fiorentina continues its preseason march, facing off against Portuguese side S.L. Benfica at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey on Wednesday.
The organizers of the International Champions Cup and the folks behind Charlotte’s potential bid for a Major League Soccer club couldn’t have been thrilled with the turnout for Saturday’s match. Of the five ICC matches the city has hosted since 2014, it was the lowest attendance total. A year ago, a friendly between Dortmund and Liverpool in Charlotte drew about 20,000 additional fans. Just a month ago, 59,283 fans showed up for a Gold Cup double-header featuring Mexico, Martinique, Canada and Cuba.
Those who were in attendance on Saturday did get to see a glimpse of U.S. women’s national team star Megan Rapinoe, as she did the pre-game coin toss.
Although the stadium was far from full, the Gunners could still hear the cheers from their American fans.
“It was good,” Lacazette said of the atmosphere. “You can see there are Arsenal fans everywhere in the world.”
Added Nketiah: “Even out here, the fans are screaming my name… I always try to give my all. I’m so grateful that they’ve taken to me.”