New signing Christos Tzolis made an immediate impact by scoring on his Arsenal debut as Mikel Arteta’s side opened their pre-season campaign with an impressive 4-1 victory over Girona FC.
The Greece international, who joined the Gunners in a reported £34 million move from Club Brugge KV following Leandro Trossard’s departure to Besiktas, gave Arsenal fans an early taste of his attacking quality.
Arsenal took the lead in the 16th minute through Kai Havertz after 16-year-old academy sensation Max Dowman split the Girona defence with a perfectly weighted through ball. Havertz kept his composure to slot past goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.
Tzolis doubled Arsenal’s advantage in the 30th minute, gliding past defender Arnau Martínez before drilling a low effort into the bottom corner with the aid of a slight deflection.
Girona responded shortly after the interval when Martínez rose highest from a corner to pull one back in the 49th minute.
However, Arsenal quickly restored their two-goal cushion just three minutes later as Dowman capped another outstanding display by getting on the scoresheet himself.
The Gunners then put the contest beyond doubt when Gabriel Jesus struck to complete a rapid five-minute scoring burst and make it 4-1.
Arteta fielded a strong starting lineup in Spain, with recent arrivals Viktor Gyökeres, Havertz and Piero Hincapié each playing 30 minutes as they continued building match fitness following their involvement at the FIFA World Cup.
Arsenal will continue their pre-season preparations on August 5 when they face Real Betis at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
