Super Eagles stars, Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi, were on the losing side as late goals from Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud earned Arsenal a comeback 4-3 win over Leicester City in a thrilling 2017/18 Premier League season opener.
The scoring started inside two minutes when Alexandre Lacazette found the net with a header on his English debut.
But Shinji Okazaki nodded in from close-range three minutes later before Jamie Vardy converted a superb Marc Albrighton cross to put the Foxes 2-1 up.
Danny Welbeck scored in first-half stoppage-time before Vardy restored Leicester’s advantage with a header from Riyad Mahrez’s corner on 56 minutes.
But Ramsey struck from a Granit Xhaka cross on 83 minutes and Giroud’s header went in off the crossbar from another Xhaka delivery two minutes later to settle a gripping contest.
Ndidi played the full 90 minutes, while new signing, Iheanacho, came in as an 82 minutes substitute for Matty James who had not played for the Foxes since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament against Southampton in May 2015.
Out of favour Ahmed Musa did not even make it to the bench.
Alex Iwobi spent the entire evening on the Gunners’ bench.
Arsenal’ next game is on Saturday, August 19 at Stoke City – a place where they have struggled in recent years, winning just one of their past seven trips.
Leicester return home as they welcome newly-promoted Brighton on the same day.
