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Riccardo Calafiori got the Gunners off to a flyer inside 30 seconds, before Kai Havertz doubled the lead shortly after. Martin Odegaard extended the lead after the half-time interval as Mikel Arteta’s side came out on top in the season’s curtain-raiser at the Principality Stadium. Kovacic started in midfield in manager Enzo Maresca’s first competitive match in charge of City and the Croatian believes the luck was simply not on our side in Cardiff. “Obviously, today was not our day,” he began in his post-match interview on Matchday Live. “I think the decisive moments were on their side. “In the boxes they were better but overall I think we didn’t play as bad as it sounds. “But that football. At this level the small margins decide the game.” Kovacic also spoke about the squad’s fitness levels and touched on his role as one of the senior members of the squad. Watch the entire interview via the video at the top of the page.