Rating this game, It’s half-time in Arsenal’s opening pre-season friendly against AC Milan, and the score is still 0-0. Mikel Arteta has brought almost his entire squad along for their summer tour in the Far East, allowing him to field a strong lineup against the Rossoneri in Singapore.
New signing Christian Norgaard made his debut as a starter, while Martin Zubimendi was named on the bench. Gabriel Magalhaes, who played in a behind-closed-doors match against Watford last weekend, wasn’t included in the squad, so Riccardo Calafiori stepped in to pair with William Saliba in defense. Jurrien Timber is still recovering from an injury and also missed out on the match.
Milan kicked things off with the first chance of the game, as Rafael Leao had his shot blocked by Saliba. Arsenal responded with a couple of opportunities, though Declan Rice sent his shot soaring over the bar, and Ben White missed the target after a promising build-up.
Ethan Nwaneri made the crowd buzz with a fantastic turn and volley, forcing a great save from Milan’s goalkeeper, Pietro Terracciano, who pushed the shot wide. There were some moments of intricate play from Arsenal in the final third, but they couldn’t find that crucial goal, with Calafiori having a header cleared off the line just before the break.
Here’s a look at how Arsenal’s players performed in the first half at the National Stadium in Singapore:
**David Raya**
Had little to do, as Milan didn’t challenge him at all. Rating: 6
**Ben White**
Created a nice chance with a brilliant ball to Bukayo Saka and missed the target after a favorable opportunity in the box. He was active going forward. Rating: 7
**William Saliba**
Steady as always, he blocked an early effort from Leao and did well to deny him later when he looked set to shoot. Rating: 7
**Riccardo Calafiori**
Playing centre-back in Gabriel’s absence, he looked good on the ball and tried to push play forward, even having a header cleared off the line in the dying moments of the half. Rating: 6
**Oleksandr Zinchenko**
Started ahead of Myles Lewis-Skelly but didn’t bring much to the attack. Rating: 5
**Ethan Nwaneri**
Played in midfield and impressed the crowd with a dazzling turn that confused Pavlovic. He followed it up with a volley that was brilliantly saved. A standout performance. Rating: 8
**Christian Norgaard**
Making his debut in midfield, he made a solid contribution early on by intercepting a play from Ruben Loftus-Cheek, which got a cheer from the fans. He provided a lovely cross that was dealt with well by Saelemaekers. Rating: 7
**Declan Rice**
Had Arsenal’s first shot of the match but unfortunately fired it over. He worked hard in midfield as expected. Rating: 6
**Bukayo Saka**
Captaining the team, he caused problems for the Milan defense with his energetic runs. Rating: 7
**Kai Havertz**
Looks to have bulked up for the new season and posed some challenges for Milan with his physical presence and link-up play. Rating: 7
**Gabriel Martinelli**
Fewer chances came his way, and he seemed a bit isolated at times. He was unfortunate not to connect with Norgaard’s inviting cross. Rating: 5
Overall, the game has been competitive, but both teams are still searching for that first goal.
