Borussia Dortmund walked out of the Emirates Stadium as the 2026 champions of the Emirates Cup, Arsenal's pre-season friendly cup competition, after an energetic encounter against the Gunners that finished 3-2. After full time, the two teams took part in a penalty shoot-out, which Arsenal won 5-4 though it did not count towards the final outcome of the match.
Solid contributions all around the park helped take down the Premier League champions. Dortmund fans will be particularly excited by the performances of several young players who delivered in key moments throughout the game. With that in mind, here are the three standout performers who shined for the Black and Yellow on a sunny afternoon in North London.
1) Joane Gadou
The 19-year-old French youth international was arguably the Man of the Match today. Gadou netted the third goal for Dortmund after Illan Meslier's save landed in his direction. The centre back coolly controlled the ball off his chest before slotting home to re-establish Dortmund's two-goal advantage in the 58th minute.
However, Gadou's work in defense this afternoon was his most important (and exciting) takeaway. Gadou was strong, quick and stood his ground, making several key blocks and challenges against Viktor Gyökeres and co. Of particular note was a 19th-minute block on Kai Havertz's volley from inside the box off the back of an Arsenal corner, and his challenge on Gyökeres inside the penalty area in the 40th minute. Gadou did well to keep his balance and composure so as not to foul in the latter instance, as the Swedish striker sought to create sufficient contact in support of a penalty shout. The cherry on top of the cake that was Gadou's impressive performance today was that he stayed on the pitch for the full 90 minutes.
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