Arsenal vs. Galatasaray: Score, Grades and Post-Match Reaction

Galatasaray knocked off hosts Arsenal 2-1 to win the 2013 Emirates Cup.

Yaya Sanogo very nearly scored in the first minute of the match. After getting the ball back from Galatasaray, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain knocked it up to Sanogo. The young striker had some nice moves to get past his man, but Fernando Muslera was there to save Sanogo's low shot.

In the early stages of the match, Sanogo was looking very good. He was a threat to score, yet he also helped to set up his teammates.

Football writer Iain Macintosh had a good comparison for one of Sanogo's aerial passes:

Theo Walcott almost scored in the 20th minute, but his effort went wide. The Daily Mirror's John Cross was impressed with Walcott's ability to gather the ball and put himself in a position to have a shot on goal:

ESPN's Janusz Michallik liked what he had seen of Walcott in the first half:

It shouldn't come as a surprise that it was Walcott who had the first goal of the game.

In the 39th minute, he delivered in a cross from the left side. Muslera seemed to have a miscommunication with his defender, and the ball bounced harmlessly into the bottom right corner. It wasn't the typical Arsenal goal, but it counts all the same.

Cross summed up the first half well:

Arsenal were the stronger side in the first half. Save a weak shot from Johan Elmander, Galatasaray didn't have much in the attack. Although the Gunners didn't look great, they did exactly what they needed in order to get the lead. And it was miles better than the first half they had against Napoli the previous day.

Fatih Terim brought on the big guns to start the second half, as Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder were both added after halftime. Any time Drogba is on the pitch, Arsenal supporters probably start to get that little bit of worry in the back of their minds, given how much he hurt them as a Chelsea player.

Piers Morgan, for one, was remembering some of Drogba's performances when he was with the Blues:

The second half came and went without much fanfare.

Macintosh noted that the Emirates crowd was doing a wave, which meant the football itself wasn't entertaining enough:

Arsenal were content to protect their lead and sit back a bit more. No doubt the inclusions of Sneijder and Drogba gave Arsene Wenger reason to pull back on the reins. Sneijder had a nice long-range effort on goal in the 75th minute. That was largely the story for Galatasaray, though. The Turkish club had a hard time breaking down the Arsenal defence and were only limited to try their luck from outside the box.

Then, wouldn't you know it, it was that man again.

In the 77th minute, Drogba was pushed down in the box by Ignasi Miquel. The striker seemed to make the most of the foul, as he looked to have gotten a slight nudge from the defender and then fell like a ton of bricks.

The Arseblog was certainly not happy with the call:

Zonal Marking's Michael Cox was a bit critical of the officiating overall at the Emirates Cup:

Regardless of how soft the call was, the referee's decision was final, and Drogba struck home the penalty to even up the match.

Didier Drogba found the winner in the 88th minute. Drogba got some space in the box between himself and Per Mertesacker, and Sneijder found him with a superb ball. Drogba had a great first touch and fired it in with his left foot. It was a fantastic goal.

Cox put it the best:

Cross has the final standings for the tournament:

It's only a friendly, so there's no need to get too upset with the final result if you're an Arsenal supporter. The Gunners were the better team until about the final 15 minutes. While there are still problems with the squad, Arsenal have a good core of talent.

Key Player Grades

Theo Walcott: B+

Theo Walcott was largely quiet in the second half. His performance in the first was superb, though. He grew a lot as a player last season, and his football intelligence improved by leaps and bounds.

While he's still not a natural centre-forward, little by little Walcott continues to look better when playing in a more central position. His movement was very good against Galatarasray. He was getting into positions to score, and you've got to be loving that if you're an Arsenal supporter.

Bacary Sagna: A-

Bacary Sagna has long been one of the better right-backs in the Premier League. To see him play so well at centre-back was a surprise. Granted, it's only preseason, but Sagna looked composed in the centre of defence and was every bit as effective as he has been on the right.

Perhaps, with his injury history, a central move would be good for Sagna. He's still a good defender. With the fact he's lost some pace, though, he can get exposed when attacking down the right flank.

Didier Drogba: A

Will there ever be a time Didier Drogba doesn't kill Arsenal? Although he only played 45 minutes, Drogba was a force in this match. He made the most of his opportunities, especially for the second goal.

You wonder why Arsene Wenger doesn't just buy Drogba, given his scoring record in the Emirates.

 What's Next

The Gunners have a friendly with Manchester City on Aug. 10, and then they begin their Premier League campaign a week later against Aston Villa. Galatasaray face off against Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super Cup on Aug. 11 and then take on Gaziantepspor in the league on Aug. 17.