Fornals Shines as Betis Dominate First Half

Pablo Fornals produced a masterclass performance to inspire Real Betis to a convincing 3-1 pre-season friendly victory over Arsenal at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The Spanish midfielder scored once and provided two assists as Betis turned on the style in a dominant first-half display that the Gunners could not recover from.

Early Betis Blitz

All four goals arrived in the first 45 minutes, with Arsenal's defensive frailties on full display. The opening goal came in the ninth minute when goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga rushed off his line and completely missed a cross, crashing into the crowd and leaving Rodrigo Riquelme to chest the ball down at the back post before firing into an empty net.

Nelson Deossa doubled Betis' advantage in the 26th minute with a spectacular long-range effort, putting his laces through the shot to rifle it into the top-right corner. Arsenal pulled one back just six minutes later when Alvaro Valles palmed Christos Tzolis' corner onto the head of Piero Hincapie, who thumped home from close range.

However, Betis restored their two-goal cushion before halftime. Kai Havertz's loose pass in midfield was pounced upon, and Fornals drilled a low drive into the bottom-left corner to cap off a devastating opening period for the Spanish side.

Arsenal Struggle in Final Third

The Gunners, who had looked comfortable in a 4-1 victory over Girona in their previous outing, found themselves unable to break down Betis' organized defense. Despite manager Mikel Arteta welcoming back Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli off the bench, Arsenal struggled to create clear-cut chances in the final third.

Arsenal registered 2.0 expected goals (xG) from nine shots but managed only two on target, both coming before the break. Notably, 1.06 of that xG came from set-pieces, a staple of Arsenal's approach, but all of that was also generated in the first half.

Gabriel Jesus came closest in the second half with a first-time shot that whistled just wide of the post. Betis goalkeeper Illan Meslier was also called into action to keep out Isco's close-range backheel in a scramble, but neither side could add to the tally after the interval.

Pellegrini Pleased with Performance

Manuel Pellegrini may feel his side deserved an even bigger margin of victory, as Betis landed seven of their 10 shots on target. Fornals was the standout performer, creating a game-high four chances, making 16 passes in the final third, and scoring with his only shot of the match.

The result serves as a valuable learning experience for Arsenal ahead of the new season, highlighting areas that need improvement, particularly in defensive organization and ball retention in dangerous areas.