Christian Norgaard distinguished himself with his first Arsenal goal in his first appearance at Emirates Stadium. Though the scoreline did not represent the team’s work, it was a memorable occasion.
Having previously played on the field with Brentford, the midfielder, who signed for the Gunners this summer, is not new to it. With 60,000 supporters behind him, though, the mood was different this time.
“It was fantastic of course, walking onto the pitch, knowing you’re an Arsenal player,” he revealed after the match. “I’ve tried a few times being in the opposing team and it’s more fun to wear the Arsenal shirt! It was a big moment of course.”
Arsenal’s hopes in the first half were boosted by Norgaard’s header off a Gabriel Martinelli corner. Still, their penultimate pre-season game failed to change the shortfall.
“It was a big moment as well (to score), but I couldn’t really enjoy it as much as I would have because of the scoreline at the time. And also, not being able to win of course this game at home. But there’s still some things we need to improve before the season starts.”
Though heartbroken, the Danish international still looks forward. As the north London side gets ready for the Premier League kick-off, he concentrated on what needed fixing.
He added: “It’s just the final execution in both ends. They had two or three chances, and they scored on all of them. And we had so many almost-chances like that where we just didn’t execute well enough.
“So that’s what we have to work on the last 10 or 11 days before the season starts. And if we get that right I’m sure we will be fine in the season.”
Game time was given to all six of Arsenal’s summer signings. For Norgaard, a warm crew made the transition easy.
“I think for me it’s nice not being the only new guy in the class!
“So I’m enjoying that and to be fair everyone is so nice. It’s been such an easy team to settle in. I really enjoyed my first month and hopefully there’s plenty of more good months to come.”
The 31-year-old and his teammates are obviously working on improving their performance and developing great chemistry before the start of the next season as pre-season draws to a close.
Toosin is a dedicated sports writer with a strong background in crafting engaging and insightful content. With experience at Goal, he has developed a sharp editorial sense and a refined storytelling approach that brings depth and perspective to sports journalism. His passion for the game goes beyond the headlines, as he captures both the excitement of the sport and the compelling human narratives behind each event. Toosin’s work resonates with a broad and diverse audience, making global sports stories accessible, relatable, and impactful.
