Arsenal continued their unbeaten pre-season campaign with an 8-0 drubbing of Norwegian side Viking FK at the Viking Stadion in Stavanger this evening.
The Gunners led by just one at the interval, but scored seven goals without reply in the second half - including a spell of four goals in nine minutes - to run out convincing winners in the opening match of their Scandinavian tour.
The visitors had a glorious chance to break the deadlock inside the opening four minutes when Mathieu Debuchy, who has been heavily linked with a move away from the club, was dragged down by Samuel Adegbenro inside the area at the end of a slick team move.
Santi Cazorla stepped up for the spot kick, but saw his powerful strike well saved by a strong hand from Viking goalkeeper Iven Austbo.
The hosts had conceded the vast majority of possession in the opening exchanges, but began to settle into the match and enjoyed a prolonged spell on the front foot, during which time Adegbenro nodded over the bar from a corner having beaten David Ospina to the ball.
Arsenal were back on top soon enough, though, and they created a chance of their own from a corner when Mohamed Elneny was left unmarked, only to see his header tipped over by Austbo.
The Viking keeper was proving to be the hosts' star man in the first half, and he produced another important contribution midway through the half when he tipped Kieran Gibbs's header away from the toe of Theo Walcott.
Moments later the visitors created another good chance when Joel Campbell got in front of his man to latch on to a cross, but he could only glance his header wide of the target.
It was Campbell who broke the deadlock shortly after the half-hour mark, though, as he nudged the ball over the line from close range after Elneny had once again escaped his marker from a corner and flicked a header towards the far post.
Walcott looked to add a second in the closing stages of the first half when he was released on the counter by Cazorla, but having cut inside he saw his powerful low strike saved by Ausbo.
Arsene Wenger made just three changes at half time, but it was Cazorla who continued to run the show in the second period and the Spaniard came close to doubling his side's lead just two minutes after the restart when his crisp volley swerved narrowly wide.
Cazorla only needed to wait a further three minutes to add a second, though, and it was another well-struck effort from just outside the box as he lashed his drive past a helpless Pal Heigre.
Two quickly became three as the Gunners began their second-half blitz, and it was Walcott, selected in a central attacking position, who put Arsenal in complete control when he picked out the bottom corner with the outside of his boot.
A fourth goal arrived just two minutes later, and once again Cazorla was central to it as he slid a pass in to Campbell, who unselfishly delivered a cross into the box that Michael Haukas could only divert into his own net.
Campbell himself doubled his personal tally to complete a spell of four goals in nine minutes for the Gunners when Cazorla and Alex Iwobi combined to set up the winger, who took his time before firing a shot in off the crossbar from inside the area.
Debuchy and Walcott both had further sights of goal before Arsenal got their sixth of the evening, with Iwobi getting in on the act with a composed finish having been played in by Cazorla.
Cazorla drew a stop from Heigre with another long-range shot as the Gunners continued to pour forward mercilessly, and it wasn't long before a seventh goal arrived when Iwobi fired a shot in off the post having been played clean through on goal by Jeff Reine-Adelaide.
Viking nearly grabbed a consolation with seven minutes remaining when Patrick Pedersen stole in front of his man to meet a low cross at the front post, but he couldn't keep his effort down.
It should have been eight for Arsenal when Chuba Akpom was picked out by Iwobi, only to fire two efforts straight at the keeper in quick succession, but the youngster did get his name on the scoresheet for the third game in a row right at the death when he tucked home a rebound after Hector Bellerin's initial effort had been spilled.
That completed the rout as Arsenal began their second tour of pre-season in style ahead of Sunday's meeting with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
Barney Corkhill
