Arsenal 5 Paris Saint-Germain 1: Ozil scores on Gunners return

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Singapore, July 28: Mesut Ozil scored on his return to the Arsenal starting XI in an emphatic 5-1 International Champions Cup win over an unfamiliar Paris Saint-Germain side, while Alexandre Lacazette netted a brace.

Ozil, who captained the Gunners, has had a difficult couple of months that culminated in him retiring from international football last week after growing tired of perceived mistreatment from the German Football Federation (DFB).

That saga stemmed from a pre-World Cup meeting with controversial Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but he returned to Arsenal action in successful fashion on Saturday.

Arsenal were dominant for much of the first period, a spell which essentially began with Ozil's 13th-minute opener at the end of a fine move.

A host of chances went begging thereafter, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan squandered the best opportunities, and PSG briefly made them pay for their profligacy.

Timothy Weah was the inspiration, winning a penalty from Sead Kolasinac, and Christopher Nkunku converted in the 60th minute.

But the Gunners stepped things up again towards the end – Lacazette, who was brought on for Iwobi at the break, scoring twice in quick succession from close range, before Rob Holding and Eddie Nketiah wrapped up an impressive win over coach Unai Emery's former team.