MEDIA RELEASE
Wednesday 29th August 2012
THE NEXTGEN SERIES
Arsene Wenger watches on as Arsenal dominate their NextGen opener
-PSV beat Aston Villa 1-0 whilst Juventus and Fenerbahce draw 3-3-
Arsene Wenger watched from the stands at Barnet this evening as Arsenal put on a
dominant display in their NextGen Series opener against Marseille. Nico Yennaris
opened the scoring for the Gunners after only nine minutes and soon after Chuba
Akpom fired in their second after some fantastic work from Serge Gnabry. Arsenal
dominated possesion and were well worth their lead going into the break.
After half-time, Arsenal continued to press well but lacked some of the composure
that was so evident in the first half to find the third goal. However, seven minutes
from time, Chuba Akpom took his chance well to grab his second of the game and
ensure Arsenal got the three points on their NextGen debut. The Gunner's now face
Group 6 leaders Athletic Club next Thursday at the Underhill Stadium whilst
Marseille play Athletic Club on the 12th September at the Marcel Cerdan.
The second game of the evening took place between NextGen debutants Juventus and
Fenerbahce in a pulsating encounter at the Stadio Moccagatta - Alessandria. Juventus
opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark through striker Stefano Padovan
before the visitors levelled ten minutes later. After the break, both Padovan (Juve)
and Simsek (Fenerbahce) grabbed their second goals to setup a tense finale. The
visitors looked as they though had grabbed an impressive win away in Turin after
Sahat scored in the eight-fifth minute but the Italians struck through Edoardo Ceria
in the dying seconds to secure a 3-3 draw on their debut in the tournament.
PSV Eindhoven opened their NextGen Series campaign with a comfortable one-nil
victory over Aston Villa at De Herdgang. The Villans never really threatened the
home team and PSV created the far better opportunities throughout the ninety
minutes. PSV kept the ball very well, and a goal after thirty-four minutes sealed
the win for the Dutch side.
The full time scores, and scorers, for the games were:
Arsenal FC 3 (Yennaris 9', Akpom 20', 83') vs. Marseille 0
Juventus 3 (Padovan 27', 50', Ceria 90') vs. Fenerbahce 3 (Simsek 38', 75' PEN,
Sahat 85')
PSV Eindhoven 1 (Antonio 34') vs. Aston Villa FC 0