Photo: Mikael Hervestad / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Greek winger Christos Tzolis capped Arsenal's pre-season with a decisive penalty in a 4-3 shootout victory over Como 1907, following a 1-1 draw against the Italian side.
Tzolis drove his effort into the top corner after a brief exchange with teammate Kai Havertz. "That was exactly how I wanted to shoot it, actually. Because I was with Kai [Havertz] in the middle line and he asked me, where are you going to shoot it? I said, there, very hard, and he said, I want to see it," Tzolis said. "I hit it very good. I wanted to shoot like this and I'm happy that it was in, and it was a nice penalty."
The 24-year-old featured in all of Arsenal's pre-season outings, scoring against Girona and providing assists against Real Betis and Borussia Dortmund before the shootout winner against Como.
Tzolis said he has settled quickly into life in north London. "I feel I adapted good in the team. The guys helped me very well, on the pitch and also off the pitch; it was also important for me, and yeah, it was really nice to have the pre-season from the beginning with my new team, and now to be ready for the official games."
Arsenal now turn their attention to Sunday's Community Shield clash with Manchester City. "It's a nice opportunity to start the season with a trophy," Tzolis said. "So that's our target and I think everyone is on the same page for this game."