A bizarre own goal by Jorginho denied Arsenal victory against German second-tier side Nuremberg, who came from behind to rescue a 1-1 draw at the Max-Morlock Stadion.
Mikel Arteta's men - who ran out 5-3 winners in this friendly last year - drew first blood through a crisp Bukayo Saka strike, but the 2. Bundesliga hosts levelled in strange circumstances midway through the second half.
Arteta elected to field a strong starting XI in Germany, and the standout inclusion was William Saliba, who has made a full recovery from the back issue that kept him out of the last two months of the 2022-23 season.
However, captain Martin Odegaard had to be replaced by Fabio Vieira after taking a knock in the warm-up, but Arsenal still assumed control of the game and needed just eight minutes to draw first blood.
Ben White's ball over the top sent Saka away down the right flank, and the England international cut inside before letting fly with his left foot and picking out the far corner with aplomb.
Arsenal failed to add to their one-goal lead before the break, and Arteta unsurprisingly made a plethora of alterations for the second 45, including an unofficial debut for summer signing Kai Havertz.
Two other substitutes would be culpable for Nuremberg's equaliser, though, as goalkeeper Karl Hein ventured out of his area before passing short to an under-pressure Jorginho, who inexplicably rolled the ball back into his own empty net in the 62nd minute.
Hein nearly gifted Nuremberg the winner in the 74th minute, parrying a speculative strike from Ali Loune into the path of Christoph Daferner, who could only strike the woodwork.
Folarin Balogun then missed an open goal after skipping past Carl Klaus to cap off an unconventional game, and Arsenal will now gear up for their trip to the United States to meet the MLS All-Stars, Manchester United and Barcelona.
Ben Knapton
