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Arsenal were punished for defensive errors as they slipped to a 3-1 friendly defeat to Real Betis at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The Premier League champions fell behind to first-half goals from Rodrigo Riquelme and Nelson Deossa and although the Gunners hit back through Piero Hincapie, Pablo Fornals struck a third for Betis before the break. Mikel Arteta named an unchanged line-up after his side won Saturday’s opening friendly match 4-1 in Spain against Girona, but they fell behind in the ninth minute when goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga failed to make contact with a corner and Riquelme lashed home at the back post. More pre-season minutes in the tank ⛽ pic.twitter.com/uPb40He22p — Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 5, 2026 Christos Tzolis failed to take advantage for Arsenal when Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles passed the ball straight to the Gunners’ summer signing before Deossa put the visitors 2-0 up with a 30-yard thunderbolt into the top corner. Arsenal reduced the deficit when Valles misjudged a corner from Tzolis for Hincapie to head home, but Betis restored their two-goal advantage before the break as former West Ham midfielder Fornals swept the ball beyond a stationary Kepa following Kai Havertz’s misplaced pass. Arteta made wholesale changes at half-time, with 16-year-old Marli Salmon appearing at centre-half, and neither side created a clear-cut scoring chance as the game lost its momentum.