Raya and Tzolis Deliver as Arsenal Edge Como on Penalties

In partnership with

Just Arsenal News

·12 August 2026

Raya and Tzolis Deliver as Arsenal Edge Como on Penalties

Arsenal concluded their pre-season with a penalty shootout victory over Cesc Fabregas’ Como at the Emirates after the sides couldn’t be separated over 90 minutes.

Myles Lewis-Skelly gave the Gunners the lead before Martin Baturina equalised shortly before half-time. Neither side could find a winner after the break, but David Raya emerged as the shootout hero before Christos Tzolis buried the decisive penalty for a 4-3 win.

OneFootball Videos

Arsenal start brightly but Como hit back

Arsenal made an encouraging start, with Eberechi Eze heavily involved. Gabriel Jesus had perhaps the best early opportunity after Eze rounded the goalkeeper and found the Brazilian, but his effort struck the post.

The breakthrough eventually came through Lewis-Skelly. The youngster reacted to a poor clearance from Jean Butez, combining with Gabriel Martinelli before slotting home his first Arsenal goal since February 2025.

However, the lead didn’t last until the interval. Baturina worked his way through the Arsenal defence before firing past Kepa to make it 1-1.

gettyimages.com

Bruno debuts as Raya becomes the hero

There was another significant moment at half-time as new summer-signing, Bruno Guimaraes, made his Arsenal debut, quickly earning applause for an excellent recovery tackle.

Arsenal continued pushing after numerous changes. Fabio Vieira and Noni Madueke both forced saves, while Kai Havertz dragged an effort wide before later seeing a goal ruled out for offside.

At the other end, returning goalkeeper Raya twice denied Jesus Rodriguez late on to ensure the game went to penalties.

Raya then delivered again in the shootout, saving from Ivan Smolcic before denying former Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata.

Bruno confidently converted his penalty on his Arsenal debut, while Madueke struck the post.

That left Tzolis with the opportunity to win it, and the summer signing emphatically found the top corner to give Arsenal a 4-3 shootout victory.

A win to finish pre-season, although there is still plenty for Arteta to work on before the serious business begins.

Next up: Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday at 3pm.

What were your biggest positives and concerns from tonight, and who impressed you most? Just how confident are you feeling ahead of Man City on Sunday?

Let us know in the comments.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________ ADMIN COMMENT

So here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….

You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.

CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us through this link…