Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal celebrates scoring a goal during the match against Sydney FC at ANZ Stadium on July 13, 2017 in Sydney, Australia.
Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal celebrates scoring a goal during the match against Sydney FC at ANZ Stadium on July 13, 2017 in Sydney, Australia.

'You could see he was happy': Alexandre Lacazette scores on debut in Arsenal win against Sydney



Arsenal's record signing Alexandre Lacazette scored on debut in their 2-0 win over Australian champions Sydney FC on Thursday.

Lacazette, signed last week in a £52.5 million ((Dh250m) deal from Lyon, came off the bench in the second half to score Arsenal's second goal before more than 80,000 fans at Sydney's Olympic stadium.

Lacazette side-footed home to beat goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne from close range after captain Per Mertesacker had opened the scoring in the fourth minute.

"It's important that he gets that off his shoulders because you as a striker expect to score, so you could see he was happy," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told reporters.

"But overall what we look for basically is to play at a good pace and develop our collective game and for long periods in the game that was quite good for us.

"They gave us tough opposition, they tried for every ball and I would say at the end of the day their goalkeeper was man of the match."

Up to Lacazette's slick finish Redmayne, a one-time triallist at Arsenal, had denied them with a string of spectacular saves to give Sydney FC an outside chance of snatching a draw against the English Premier League club.

Arsenal got off to a dream start when defender Mertesacker latched onto an overhead kick off a corner from fellow German Mesut Ozil to put his team ahead in the opening minutes. Mertesacker pivoted and let fly to beat Redmayne from close range.

Youngster Reiss Nelson was lively down the right wing and troubled the home defence before he tired late in the half.

"All the youngsters did well; Nelson and Joe Willcock had a very strong performance, they are very young, just 18 years old, so that's very promising and they are English as well," Wenger said.

Sydney made few inroads into Arsenal territory but almost equalised when striker Matt Simon hit the side netting after Petr Cech made a low parry save off a Josh Brillante volley in the box.

Redmayne made a double save shortly afterwards and then flung himself to prevent Willock from scoring with three minutes to half time.

Nelson came close just after the resumption before substitute keeper Emi Martinez had to get down sharply to keep out Chris Zuvela.

Arsenal received a dubious penalty decision 10 minutes into the second half when Theo Walcott's shot hit the back of scrambling defender Sebastian Ryall but referee Shaun Evans signalled hand ball and pointed to the spot.

But Redmayne again came to Sydney's aid with a diving save to his right to keep out Danny Welbeck's spot kick.

"We made a mistake, we should have given them the ball back, it's always difficult to know how to behave, we should have just rolled the ball back," Wenger said.

"I don't know if Danny Welbeck saw it on video, but on the video it was obvious it was no penalty."

READ MORE: Mesut Ozil says selling Alexis Sanchez would hit Arsenal 'quite hard'

Wenger made mass changes midway through the second half, taking off all 10 of his outfield players and among his substitutes on came the club's new record signing Lacazette.

Redmayne again produced another acrobatic save to keep out an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain free kick.

But Lacazette delivered the clinching goal when he finished off Alex Iwobi's cross from the right to find the net.

Arsenal play the second of a double-header of friendly matches in Sydney against Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday before they head to China.

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The biog

Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.

Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.

Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.

Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.

The studios taking part (so far)
  1. Punch
  2. Vogue Fitness 
  3. Sweat
  4. Bodytree Studio
  5. The Hot House
  6. The Room
  7. Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
  8. Cryo
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The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

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Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

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Transmission: 6-speed automatic

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The biog

Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha

Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude

Holiday destination: Sri Lanka

First car: VW Golf

Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters

Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
  • 2018: Formal work begins
  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
  • October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid 

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Martin Sabbagh profile

Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East

In the role: Since January 2015

Lives: In the UAE

Background: M&A, investment banking

Studied: Corporate finance

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
RESULTS

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
Winner: Ferdous, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-3 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,400m
Winner: Basmah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6pm: UAE Arabian Derby Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 2,200m
Winner: Ihtesham, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Emirates Championship Group 1 (PA) Dh1,000,000 2,200m
Winner: Somoud, Patrick Cosgrave, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Group 3 (TB) Dh380,000 2,200m
Winner: GM Hopkins, Patrick Cosgrave, Jaber Ramadhan
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Conditions (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Bairaq, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

MATCH INFO

Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')

Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')

Financial considerations before buying a property

Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.

“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says. 

Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.

Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier. 

Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly

South Africa v India schedule

Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg

ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion

T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town