Arsenal FC went head-to-head against Newcastle United in the final matchday for Singapore Festival of Football 2025, with the London club prevailing with a 3-2 win – a preview perhaps of their matches in the Premier League for the upcoming season.
While new Arsenal signing Viktor Gyökeres – who was also at the National Stadium – did not play, there was still a lot to glean from the match. Here is what we’ve learned.
No Isak, no problem?
Alexander Isak’s absence is set to rumble on throughout the rest of preseason, and if the rumours are to be believed, it seems that he will continue to be missing from the squad for the upcoming season. But though Newcastle United are down to just one senior striker – 21-year-old William Osula – the team still has firepower to do some damage.
Newcastle caused plenty of trouble to the Arsenal backline, especially in the second half. Both Anthony Gordon and new recruit Anthony Elanga were dangerous and found themselves in good positions on many occasions.
Should Isak leave, Newcastle would still do well to have someone come in. But it isn’t necessarily a code red situation if nobody else comes in. Against Arsenal, the team with the best defence last season, Eddie Howe was able to generate some decent opportunities.
Friendly only in name
Did anybody tell the teams that this was a friendly match?
If there was ever any cynicism that the Singapore fans were getting a watered-down Premier League match, those thoughts evaporated after the first half. Crunching challenges and meaty tackles were all on view, resulting in two yellow cards being brandished.
Sad to say, but the competitive nature of the nature did bear some consequences, with Riccardo Calafiori and Sven Botman receiving injuries. We can only hope that these are minor and the players can get back to action soon.
Dowman is him
We spoke very highly of Max Dowman for Arsenal’s first game against AC Milan, but it was this match where he shone even brighter.
The 15-year-old came on slightly earlier this time and was having a field day on the right as he terrorised the Newcastle defence. In his 30-minute cameo, he forced two excellent stops from both Nick Pope and John Ruddy. His final meaningful contribution was winning a penalty in the last 10 minutes of the game—Joelinton surely would have been sick of the sight of him.
Though Dowman plays as an attacking midfielder, his performances on the right wing might suggest that he could provide useful rotation for Saka once he becomes eligible to play.
Fans brought the atmosphere
Mikel Arteta spoke about the lack of a filled stadium for the game against AC Milan. While the National Stadium unfortunately was not able to reach full capacity for the final match, you can’t deny that, at the very least, Singapore brought the noise.
The increased 39,000 or so fans in the stadium created a rapturous atmosphere, with plenty of cheers and jeers whenever something happened on the field.
And it was also a pleasant surprise to see a good mix of Arsenal and Newcastle fans amongst the crowd. The Newcastle fans, in particular, deserve special mention as they sang a number of songs throughout the match to make it feel as though it was a true Premier League match.
That’s been our coverage for Singapore Festival of Football 2025! While it may be sad that it has ended, you can look forward to seeing the next edition when it returns in two years’ time.
But while you wait, you can relive the experience by checking out TEG Sport’s socials on Facebook and Instagram, or read our coverage for the previous editions of the Singapore Festival of Football.
Photos by Leo Chia of the DANAMIC Team.
