Arsenal Thrash Girona 4-1 in Costa Brava Trophy Opener
Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis, Max Dowman and Gabriel Jesus all get on the scoresheet as Mikel Arteta's understrength side dominate in Catalonia to open the 2026/27 pre-season.
The result
Arsenal opened their 2026/27 pre-season with a comfortable 4-1 win over Girona at Estadi Montilivi on Saturday, lifting the Costa Brava Trophy with goals from Kai Havertz, Christos Tzolis, Max Dowman and Gabriel Jesus.
A youthful line-up
Mikel Arteta fielded a side without several first-teamers still on breaks after the World Cup — Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, David Raya and Martín Zubimendi among them — while William Saliba stayed back in London and Jurriën Timber withdrew from the squad with a groin issue. Ben White made his first start since a long-term knee injury, and Piero Hincapie, Viktor Gyokeres and Havertz all featured after returning from their World Cup runs.
Dowman's night
Havertz opened the scoring after a turn and through-ball from 16-year-old Max Dowman, who then added a goal of his own with a powerful strike from outside the box — capping a man-of-the-match display that also included an assist. Christos Tzolis, on debut, made it 2-0 with a deflected finish, and Gabriel Jesus pounced on a defensive mix-up late on to complete the scoring. Arnau Martinez got Girona's consolation with a headed goal from a corner just after the break.
What's next
It's a first Costa Brava Trophy win for Arsenal after five straight defeats to Girona in the fixture, and continues a strong recent record against Spanish opposition following last season's Champions League run. Arteta's squad now returns to London to continue pre-season preparations ahead of further friendlies later in the summer.
Sources: Sky Sports, Arseblog, 101 Great Goals, August 1, 2026.