Arsenal's Bukayo Saka (L) and AC Milan's Davide Bartesaghi fight for the ball during the Singapore Festival of Football pre-season friendly match between Arsenal and AC milan at the National Stadium in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP)
Arsenal began their pre-season campaign with a 1–0 victory over Italian club AC Milan at the National Stadium in Singapore on Wednesday.
The match saw manager Mikel Arteta field a strong starting lineup that included Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, and Ben White. New signing Christian Norgaard, who recently joined from Brentford, made his debut, while fellow new arrivals Kepa Arrizabalaga and Martin Zubimendi started on the bench.
In front of over 22,800 fans, Arsenal dominated possession in the first half but were unable to find the back of the net.
At halftime, Arteta made six substitutions, bringing on Arrizabalaga and Zubimendi. The breakthrough came seven minutes into the second half when Bukayo Saka connected with a cross from Jakub Kiwior and scored into the far corner.
Saka, who was later named Man of the Match, was substituted for 15-year-old academy player Max Dowman, who impressed with his confident display.
Arsenal continued to push for a second goal, but AC Milan’s substitute goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani made key saves. He denied Mikel Merino’s header in the 75th minute and tipped Leandro Trossard’s close-range shot over the bar seven minutes later.
Speaking after the match, Arteta expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance.
“I’m very happy with the attitude and the domination we had shown throughout the game. But there are always things to improve,” he said. “I have to find that cohesion within the players, and they have to continue to step up to the next level. But we are heading in a good direction.”
Arsenal’s next pre-season fixture is against Premier League side Newcastle United on Sunday.
