Arsenal Kick Off Europa League on Flying Note After Sinking FC Zurich in Group A Opener

Arsenal Kick Off Europa League on Flying Note After Sinking FC Zurich in Group A Opener

Fred Kennedy
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:11 PM
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  • FC Zurich vs Arsenal Europa League clash ended in a 2-1 victory for the Gunners at the AFG Arena
  • Marquinhos and Eddie Nketiah were on target for the Premier League side giants, with Merlind Kryeziu scoring Zurich's consolation
  • The win has Arsenal topping Group A after PSV Eindhoven settled for a frustrating 1-1 draw with Bodo Glimt in the other fixture

Arsenal have kicked off their European campaign on a positive note after winning their Group A Europa League opener against FC Zurich.

The Gunners have not played on the continental stage for a year now, having missed out on a slot during the 2020/21 campaign.

Eddi Nketiah, Arsenal FC, UEFA Europa League, FC Zürich, Marquinhos.
Eddi Nketiah of Arsenal FC celebrates after scoring his team's second goal with teammates during the UEFA Europa League match with FC Zürich. Photo by Harry Langer.
Source: Getty Images

However, after finishing fifth on the Premier League standings last season, the north Londoners sealed their return to European football this term.

The Mikel Arteta-tutored side have been pooled in Group A of the Europa League alongside Bodo Glimt and Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven.

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Arsenal see off FC Zurich in Group A opener

The in-form Premier League side have now picked their first points in the competition after seeing off FC Zurich in Switzerland in their curtain-raiser.

Arteta made a couple of changes to his team from the side that lost to rivals Manchester United last Sunday.

Arsenal were the dominant side during the Thursday evening, September 8, clash and had their efforts rewarded in the 16th minute when Marquinhos opened the scoring with a first-time finish into the top corner.

However, the hosts restored parity moments before the break through Merlind Kryeziu, who stepped up to convert from the penalty spot.

Eddie Nketiah, who conceded a penalty in the first half, made up for his mistake in the 62nd minute when he grabbed Arsenal's winner - heading home a perfect Marquinhos cross to make it 2-1.

The win has the Gunners topping Group A after PSV settled for a 1-1 draw with Bodo Glimt in the other fixture.

Queen Elizabeth II was a rumoured Arsenal fan

Sports Brief has also reported that Queen Elizabeth's passing has rekindled fond memories that she shared with Premier League giants Arsenal FC.

It was widely believed that Her Royalty was an Arsenal fan. There were also rumours of her having a soft spot for another London team, West Ham United.

Like other Royalties, the Queen never revealed her true team. She, however, hosted Arsenal at Buckingham Palace in 2007. This marked the first team that the Queen had hosted at her official residence. She was initially supposed to open the new Emirates Stadium but failed to do so, as she fell ill and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, did so on her behalf.

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Fred Kennedy
Fred Kennedy has a Bachelor's degree in journalism (Daystar University), currently working as a Sports Editor. He has more than five years of experience in digital journalism.
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