
Arsenal kicked off their preseason tour of Asia with a 1-0 victory over AC Milan at Singapore’s National Stadium on Wednesday.
A second-half goal from Bukayo Saka sealed a deserved win for Mikel Arteta’s side before the post-game penalty shootout, which has become a tradition after many of these friendly matches, ended in a 6-5 win for the Rossoneri.
The Gunners handed a first start to new midfield signing Christian Norgaard, while fellow arrivals Martin Zubimendi and Kepa Arrizabalaga got off the bench in the second period. Youngsters including Joshua Nichols, Marli Salmon and the highly rated Max Dowman also got some minutes.
Milan enjoyed more possession in the first half but Arsenal carried the greater threat, with Ethan Nwaneri forcing a good save from Pietro Terracianno. The Premier League side assumed more control after the restart and deservedly took the lead when Saka bounced a half-volley into the corner of the net from Jakub Kiwior’s superb left-wing cross.
Leandro Trossard forced a fine save from substitute goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani, who also kept out Mikel Merino’s header at full stretch.
Torriani then produced good saves in the shootout from Martin Odegaard, Reiss Nelson and Kiwior, while Kepa denied Lorenzo Colombo, Mattia Liberali and Noah Okafor. In sudden death, Salmon fired his effort over the crossbar, allowing Christian Comotto to win it for the Italians.
JUMP TO: Highlights | Match stats | Arsenal, AC Milan preseason schedule | Team news
Arsenal vs. AC Milan score
Score | Goal scorers | |
Arsenal | 1 | Saka 53′ |
AC Milan | 0 |
Arsenal vs. AC Milan penalty shootout score
Score | Scored | Missed | |
Arsenal | 5 | Zubimendi, Merino, Dowman, Trossard, Nichols | Odegaard, Nelson, Kiwior, Salmon |
AC Milan | 6 | Gabbia, Chukwueze, Bondo, Terracianno, Dutu, Comotto | Colombo, Liberali, Okafor |
Arsenal vs. AC Milan starting lineups
First half:
Arsenal (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. David Raya (GK) — 4. Ben White, 2. William Saliba, 33. Riccardo Calafiori, 17. Oleksandr Zinchenko — 16. Christian Noorgaard, 41. Declan Rice — 22. Ethan Nwaneri, 7. Bukayo Saka, 11. Gabriel Martinelli — 29. Kai Havertz
AC Milan (3-5-2, right to left): 1. Pietro Terracianno (GK) — 23. Fikayo Tomori, 28. Malick Thiaw, 31. Strahinja Pavlovic — 56. Alexis Saelemaekers, 8. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 4. Samuele Ricci, 80. Yunus Musah, 33. Davide Bartesaghi — 11. Christian Pulisic, 10. Rafael Leao
Second half:
Arsenal (4-3-3, right to left): 13. Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK) — 4. Ben White (48. Joshua Nichols), 2. William Saliba (89. Marli Salmon), 15. Jakub Kiwior, 49. Myles Lewis-Skelly — 8. Martin Odegaard, 36. Martin Zubimendi, 41. Declan Rice (23. Mikel Merino) — 7. Bukayo Saka (56. Max Dowman), 29. Kai Havertz (24. Reiss Nelson), 19. Leandro Trossard
AC Milan (3-5-2, right to left): 1. Pietro Terracianno (GK) (96. Lorenzo Torriani (GK)) — 46. Matteo Gabbia, 28. Malick Thiaw (24. Filippo Terracianno), 31. Strahinja Pavlovic (35. Matteo Dutu) — 21. Samuel Chukwueze, 8. Ruben Loftus-Cheek (38. Warren Bondo), 4. Samuele Ricci (34. Christian Comotto), 80. Yunus Musah (91. Mattia Liberali), 33. Davide Bartesaghi (89. Vittorio Magni) — 17. Noah Okafor, 10. Rafael Leao (29. Lorenzo Colombo)
Arsenal vs. AC Milan match stats
Arsenal | Stat | AC Milan |
23 | Shots | 3 |
9 | Shots on target | 1 |
57% | Possession | 43% |
491 | Passes | 388 |
14 | Corners | 2 |
9 | Fouls | 8 |
0 | Yellow cards | 0 |
1 | Offsides | 2 |
Arsenal vs. AC Milan highlights
74′: What a save this is from young Milan goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani!
What a save from 20-year-old Lorenzo Torriani 🧤 pic.twitter.com/GGxkloo3Pf
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) July 23, 2025
53′: GOAL! Bukayo Saka gets Arsenal’s first goal of preseason. Brilliant cross from Jakub Kiwior.
WHAT A BALL 🎯
Bukayo Saka finishes off a beautiful cross to put Arsenal ahead against AC Milan ⚽ pic.twitter.com/zckB0vHVs1
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) July 23, 2025
23′: Ethan Nwaneri is balling out here. This clever first touch and fierce shot brought a good save out of Pietro Terracianno.
What a goal this would have been from Ethan Nwaneri 😱🚀 pic.twitter.com/ESsVwKBRpP
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) July 23, 2025
Pure magic from Ethan 😲
Enjoy all the second-half action live on https://t.co/i4DyaQZDmr 👇
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 23, 2025
Arsenal vs. AC Milan lineups, team news
New midfield signing Christian Norgaard starts against Milan, while fellow new arrivals Kepa Arrizabalaga and Martin Zubimendi are on the bench. Noni Madueke, signed from Chelsea last week, will not feature yet as he is on a short break following the Blues’ FIFA Club World Cup campaign. Viktor Gyokeres has not signed yet and will need time to link up with the club and get to training before he can appear in a match.
Bukayo Saka captains the side and will seemingly start at the No. 10 position, behind Kai Havertz. William Saliba partners Riccardo Calafiori in defence.
Arsenal’s only injury worry at this point in preseason is the continued recovery of forward Gabriel Jesus from his ACL tear last winter. Jesus is expected to be ready for action soon but will be brought back slowly given his history of knee injuries.
Arsenal lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Raya (GK) — White, Saliba, Calafiori, Zinchenko — Noorgaard, Rice — Nwaneri, Saka, Martinelli — Havertz
Arsenal subs: Kepa, Setford, Rojas-Fedorushchenko, Nichols, Kiwior, Salmon, Lewis-Skelly, Zubimendi, Lokonga, Copley, Merino, Dowman, Odegaard, Kabia
The AC Milan squad has turned over some this summer, most notably after the sale of Tijjani Reijnders to Manchester City. Theo Hernandez also departed to join Saudi side Al Hilal. Additionally, Kyle Walker and Joao Felix finished loan deals, captain Davide Calabria and striker Luka Jovic saw their contracts expire, and defender Pierre Kalulu made his Juventus loan deal permanent.
They have yet to identify replacements for many of them, but the Rossoneri did bring in Real Madrid legend Luka Modric on a free transfer and signed defensive midfielder Samuele Ricci from Torino.
Ismael Bennacer, Yacine Adli, Alexis Saelemaekers, and Tommaso Pobega all returned from loans elsewhere and could factor in this season if they decide to stick around.
AC Milan lineup (3-5-2, right to left): Terracianno (GK) — Tomori, Thiaw, Pavlovic — Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Ricci, Musah, Bartesaghi — Pulisic, Leao
AC Milan: Okafor, Chukwueze, F. Terracciano, Colombo, Comotto, Dutu, Pittarella, Bondo, Gabbia, Magni, Liberali, Torriani
Arsenal vs. AC Milan stats, head to head
Arsenal have the edge when it comes to competitive meetings between these two, most of which have come in the UEFA Champions League.
Arsenal wins | Draws | AC Milan wins |
4 | 2 | 2 |
Biggest win: 3-0 (2012) |
Biggest win: 4-0 (2012) |
Arsenal vs. AC Milan live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this preseason friendly across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
Date | Time | TV channel | Streaming | |
USA | Wed, Jul. 23 | 7:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 a.m. PT | CBS Sports Network | Fubo, Paramount+ |
Canada | Wed, Jul. 23 | 7:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 a.m. PT | — | Arsenal.com |
Australia | Wed, Jul. 23 | 9:30 p.m. AEST | — | Paramount+ |
Arsenal, AC Milan preseason fixtures
Arsenal preseason fixtures
Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
Sun, May 25 | 11 a.m. | Southampton 1-2 Arsenal | St. Mary’s Stadium (Southampton, England) |
Wed, Jul. 23 | 7:30 a.m. | AC Milan vs. Arsenal | National Stadium (Kallang, Singapore) |
Sun, Jul. 27 | 7:30 a.m. | Arsenal vs. Newcastle | National Stadium (Kallang, Singapore) |
Thu, Jul. 31 | 7:30 a.m. | Arsenal vs. Tottenham | Kai Tak Sports Park (Kowloon, Hong Kong) |
Sat, Aug. 9 | 12 p.m. | Arsenal vs. Athletic Club | Emirates Stadium (London, England) |
AC Milan preseason fixtures
Date | Time (ET) | Match | Location |
Wed, Jul. 23 | 7:30 a.m. | AC Milan vs. Arsenal | National Stadium (Kallang, Singapore) |
Sat, Jul. 26 | 7:30 a.m. | Liverpool vs. AC Milan | Kai Tak Sports Park (Kowloon, Hong Kong) |
Thu, Jul. 31 | TBD | Perth Glory vs. AC Milan | HBF Park (Perth, Australia) |
Sat, Aug. 9 | 9 a.m. | Leeds United vs. AC Milan | Aviva Stadium (Dublin, Ireland) |
Sun, Aug. 10 | 10 a.m. | Chelsea vs. AC Milan | Stamford Bridge (London, England) |
