Max Dowman stole the show as Arsenal opened their pre-season campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory over Girona, producing a goal and an assist in an eye-catching display.
The highly rated midfielder played a key role in two first-half goals, first threading an incisive pass through to Kai Havertz, who calmly slotted past Paulo Gazzaniga to open the scoring after 16 minutes.
Arsenal doubled their advantage midway through the first half when summer signing Christos Tzolis marked his debut with a goal. The Greece international skipped past Arnau Martinez before drilling a low effort into the bottom corner via a slight deflection to give Mikel Arteta’s side a deserved cushion.
💬 "It was a good test for us against a good team and I think we played strong. We need to continue like that now."
Kai Havertz was full of praise for his team-mates 👇
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 1, 2026
Girona reduced the deficit four minutes after the restart as Martinez rose highest to head home from a corner, but Arsenal responded immediately through the impressive Dowman.
Dowman shines as Arsenal beat Girona in pre-season
The teenager restored the Gunners’ two-goal advantage just three minutes later with a composed finish before Gabriel Jesus completed a devastating five-minute spell by adding Arsenal’s fourth goal to put the result beyond doubt.
Arteta fielded a strong starting side in Spain, with Viktor Gyokeres, Havertz and Piero Hincapie all featuring for 30 minutes after returning from the World Cup. However, it was Dowman who emerged as the standout performer, underlining why he is regarded as one of the brightest talents to come through Arsenal’s academy in recent years.
Tzolis also made an encouraging first impression following his move from Club Brugge, while Jesus added another positive moment as Arsenal continued to build fitness ahead of the new campaign.
The Gunners now turn their attention to their second pre-season fixture, when they face Real Betis in Dublin on 5 August.