Yaya Sanogo upstages Alexis Sanchez in Arsenal romp
French striker Yaya Sanogo scored four times as Arsenal crushed Portuguese champions Benfica 5-1 at the Emirates Cup friendly tournament in London on Saturday.
|Last Updated: Aug 02, 2014, 11:08 PM IST|Source: AFP
London: French striker Yaya Sanogo scored four times as Arsenal crushed Portuguese champions Benfica 5-1 at the Emirates Cup friendly tournament in London on Saturday.
The 21-year-old, who has never scored a competitive goal for the club, claimed a first-half hat-trick and added another goal in the second half to upstage star signing Alexis Sanchez, who made his first appearance as a late substitute.
Costa Rica forward Joel Campbell, back at Arsenal after three seasons out on loan, scored the hosts` other goal, with Nicolas Gaitan replying for Europa League runners-up Benfica.
The game at the Emirates Stadium followed the 2-2 draw between Valencia and Monaco in the first game of the four-team friendly competition, which concludes on Sunday.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger used the occasion to cast his eye over some fringe players, with new signing Calum Chambers -- formerly of Southampton -- starting in an unfamiliar position at centre-back alongside fellow full-back Nacho Monreal.
After Campbell had seen an early penalty claim waved away, Gaitan gave Arsenal a scare with an adroit half-volley that skimmed the crossbar.
But after Campbell had scuffed wide from Aaron Ramsey`s dinked pass and Sanogo had steered a low Hector Bellerin cross the wrong side of the near post, the hosts clicked into gear in devastating fashion.
Sanogo broke the deadlock in the 26th minute with a clever back-heeled finish from Ramsey`s right-wing cross.
The adventurous Bellerin then teed up Campbell to bludgeon home a left-foot volley in the 40th minute.
Improbably, there was time for Sanogo to complete his hat-trick before the interval.
He tucked away a volleyed cross from Campbell in the 44th minute and then flicked in a centre from Kieran Gibbs at the second attempt in stoppage time.
The towering former Auxerre striker claimed his fourth four minutes into the second period, rolling the ball into an empty net after Benfica goalkeeper Moraes Artur had parried from Ramsey.
Gaitan headed in from a long throw-in with just under half an hour remaining, but Arsenal`s fans were given further reason to cheer when Chile forward Sanchez replaced Campbell to make his debut following his switch from Barcelona for a fee of around £30 million ($50.4 million, 37.6 million euros).
Arsenal`s new number 17 almost created a goal for fellow substitute Francis Coquelin in injury time, but the young midfielder`s shot came back off the post.
Arsenal play Monaco on Sunday before facing Manchester City in the Community Shield next weekend, while Benfica will close the tournament against Valencia.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.