Arsenal’s Perfect Start Ends in Dublin Horror Show as Betis Run Riot
Arsenal’s unbeaten pre-season run came crashing down in Dublin on Wednesday night, as Real Betis stunned the Premier League champions 3-1 at a sold-out Aviva Stadium.
Mikel Arteta named an unchanged side from the 4-1 demolition of Girona days earlier, but this time his players were made to pay for their carelessness.
Kepa Arrizabalaga endured a night to forget, badly misjudging a Betis corner inside eight minutes to gift Rodrigo Riquelme a tap-in opener.
Things got worse on 25 minutes when Nelson Deossa lashed in a stunning strike from range to double the visitors’ lead.
Arsenal briefly rediscovered themselves through Piero Hincapié, who rose to head home from a Christos Tzolis corner and set up a grandstand finish.
But sloppiness struck again before the break: Kai Havertz was robbed of possession in a dangerous area, and Pablo Fornals punished it with a clinical finish from the edge of the box to make it 3-1.
Despite dominating spells of possession after going behind, Arteta’s men could not find the cutting edge to force a way back into the game, and Betis held firm to claim a deserved win.
It’s a timely reality check for Arsenal ahead of the new season — the quality that got them over the line in Girona simply wasn’t there defensively this time, and Arteta will want answers before competitive football returns.
