00:00Well it is a sellout at Girona's Montelievi Stadium for tonight's Costa Brava trophy match
00:06as Arsenal begin their preparations for the new season.
00:11More than 14,000 are inside this diminutive little ground including around 1,000 travelling Gunners fans
00:18eager for a first look at Mikel Arteta's side this summer.
00:24There are fresh faces in the squad, familiar ones still to return
00:27and of course plenty of opportunities for youngsters to stake their claim
00:31before the competitive action begins at home to Coventry City in just 20 days time.
00:39Tonight is the very first step on that journey.
00:43Mikel Arteta is now the Premier League's longest serving manager
00:47preparing for his seventh full season in charge.
00:49He has called as Perry says for excellence to be Arsenal's standard now
00:54and to attack the future as well.
00:58Girona's top flight relegation resulted in 13 players leaving for Corina Pastures this summer
01:03but there are still some recognisable Premier League exports in their 11.
01:07Donny van der Beek and Alex Moreno represented four clubs in England's top tier.
01:12Paolo Gazzaniga and Brian Hill both turned out at the other end of the Seven Sisters road.
01:18Several senior Arsenal players are still to return after the World Cup
01:22but Mikel Arteta can still call on four of the players who started May's Champions League final in Budapest.
01:28Summer signing Christos Solis also comes straight into the side on the left
01:32while 16-year-old Max Daumann gets a chance to impress on the right
01:36in Bukayo Saka and Noni Madweke's absence.
01:44Oh, that's beautifully done by Daumann and it's Kai Havertz!
01:52The man who scores Arsenal's final goal of last season.
01:57Here's the man who opens up their pre-season campaign.
02:02But how much does he owe to the architect, 16-year-old Max Daumann?
02:08If you wanted to just encapsulate Max Daumann in two, three seconds of action, that is exactly it.
02:18And the other thing about all of these Hellen graduates that are coming through,
02:21they're not afraid to take risks like that one there.
02:25As Havertz was looking to lay it across the face of goal for Jochores,
02:28but more invention coming from the boots of the Hellen Academy graduate.
02:34Yeah, we see that Kai Havertz again has got that license just to run across the front line.
02:49Martinez going for goal and Kepa at his angles well covered.
02:54Yeah, it was worth an effort from Martinez, he's coming in from the right back position.
03:03Weineri, Calafiore, flicked on, here is Solis!
03:07Jochores couldn't get there, Daumann couldn't either.
03:10Gerona back in their numbers, they wanted the offside flag.
03:14Solis has got to be more ruthless there.
03:19So many options in there.
03:22Away by Beltran.
03:29So once his ball in, he's flicked on by Mosquera.
03:34Still yet to score for the Gunners.
03:36Christian Mosquera.
03:44Somehow that works its way to Calafiore.
03:49Now out to Solis.
03:51Up against Martinez again is Solis going for goal and Solis finding the bottom corner.
03:58Well, the Arsenal fans who have packed inside this small stadium would have loved to have seen what all the
04:05fuss was about.
04:05And he has just given them a glimpse.
04:08He's been buzzing, he's been lively in this opening half hour.
04:13And he gets his reward as well.
04:15The Gunners lead by two goals to nil.
04:23As he sticks it on for Max Daumann who can turn away and start dribbling into the area.
04:29He's been told to get back to his feet by Marta Huerta, the referee.
04:33Good close control again from Max Daumann.
04:35Gets himself away from Moreno.
04:36Just looks to cut inside Lopez.
04:39Marta Huerta, the referee, says nowhere near a penalty.
04:46Mascara, that one's a brilliant ball in and it was a thunderous header from the captain, Arnaud Martinez.
04:54They barely had a sniff at Kepa's goal in the first half.
04:58Since the interval, they've come out with renewed optimism.
05:03And it's their captain who has absolutely punched that into the far corner.
05:15He's done it again here.
05:16It's Max Daumann.
05:20Well, he doesn't need a second invitation.
05:24This boy is special.
05:26An assist to his name already.
05:30And this time, he's able to take the glory for himself.
05:34Yeah, Max Daumann.
05:35He says, that's just what I do.
05:37He, of course, was used perhaps a bit cautiously at times as an impact sub last season.
05:43Mikel Arteta, very sensible with how he used a 15, 16-year-old in the top flight of English football.
05:50This one's going to break here for Gabriel Jesus.
05:56A poacher's finish to take this game well away from Girona.
06:02And it's good to see a smile back on Gabriel Jesus' face.
06:06Yeah, it's a really good finish.
06:07Just an over-elaboration from Girona, just trying to play out from the back.
06:11And again, no hesitation.
06:14First time, gives Gazzaniga absolutely no chance.
06:18Now it comes down.
06:19Arsenal's left with Solis.
06:25Daumann waiting for support from White before floating one in himself.
06:29And Jesus left that.
06:33Daumann just trying to ease it in.
06:36Maybe Gabriel Jesus can gamble a little bit and get himself in front of Francis.
06:49Oh, that one is loose, though.
06:51And Kepa came to Daumann's rescue.
06:58It's Vanek 1v1 with Kepa.
07:00Kepa making sure that he doesn't commit himself.
07:01And he actually says to Vanek, you've got to beat me.
07:03I'm not going to make your mind up.
07:10There's a bit of space opening up here for Martínez.
07:13Great ball across.
07:16And Ruiz was denied by Ian Mellier on his Arsenal debut.
07:28It's back in towards the box.
07:30Mellier stayed and then threw a right arm towards that for the second time.
07:34Really good delivery from the left-hand side from Hull.
07:39Oh, no, back off.
07:43Nelson.
07:45Karaman Anous on the overlap.
07:47Nelson can clip that one in.
07:49It was O'Neill who was jumping.
07:50And that one's come off the frame of the goal.
07:54Ruiz Nelson just trying to ease it into the 18-yard box.
07:58Comes up to O'Neill.
07:59Just gets up nice and early but can't quite get himself over the top of the ball.
08:07Oh, clever ball over the top.
08:09And it was Mellier who was required to make the save again.
08:14Look at that three good stops inside his penalty area on his Arsenal debut.
08:20Great little ball from Martin.
08:29There it is then.
08:30A comprehensive victory for Mikel Arteta over his fellow countryman, Quique Alvarez.
08:38More importantly, he will be delighted to have seen all of his players get through the game unscathed.
08:44And some of them showing really promising, positive, encouraging performances as well.
08:50We spoke about the senior players who had half an hour of action before they were substituted, rotated, given a
08:56breather.
08:57But the youngsters really, really shining this evening.
09:00Yeah, very much so.
09:01We mentioned obviously about Marley Salmon coming on.
09:04Marley Salmon just looking very assured at the left side, centre-half position.
09:07I was impressed with Ibrahim in that sort of, shall we say, the last 25 minutes.
09:13Playing the centre midfield, getting himself on the ball.
09:15And going into the first half of Christos Solis making his debut in inverted commas for Arsenal in the first
09:21team.
09:21But very, very lively.
09:29Still the same, those youngsters having a phenomenal experience at the end of this first leg of pre-season.
09:37The training camp in Girona and Arsenal are the Costa Brava Trophy champions in 2026.
09:54Thank you very much.
