Arsenal began their pre-season tour of Singapore with defeat as Unai Emery's men failed to gain revenge after last season UEFA Europa League semi-final loss to Atletico Madrid, as Los Coloncheros won out on a penalties after the sides were locked in a 1-1 stalemate after 90 minutes.
The Gunners dominated proceedings against a much changed Atletico side for the majority, as Emile Smith-Rowe's stunning equaliser canceled out Luciano Vietto's first-half opener.
The match gave Emery's side a tricky test and both Emery and Diego Simeone were both given license to experiment with their squads, with plenty of their star players still yet to return to their club sides since the conclusion of the World Cup.
Despite a poor penalty-shootout display - Ainsley Maitland-Niles being the only Arsenal player to convert - there were plenty of positives for Emery to ponder.
Young Guns given chance to shine
With a new manager comes the chance for Arsenal's young starlets to catch the eye and Emile Smith-Rowe grasped his opportunity. The 17-year-old caused the sturdy Atlético defence a number of problems in the first-half and offered some slick link up play with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.
Smith-Rowe announced himself as he glided past three Atletico defenders before driving the ball in to the top right-hand corner from 25 yards. Gunners fans will be excited of the prospect of having another young talent of the fringes of the first-team next season.
Number one jersey up for grabs
Emery still has a number of dilemmas to fix before the beginning of the Premier League season, including who will be chosen as Arsenal's number one goalkeeper.
German international Bernd Leno arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for £22millon and will provide strong competition for veteran goalkeeper Petr Cech and David Ospina.
Leno completed the first-half of the match and had a relatively quiet shift between the sticks before conceding to Vietto's well placed header, which the 26-year-old goalkeeper could have done little to prevent.
Cech replaced Leno at half-time and bailed out the Arsenal defence in the second-half as he reacted quickly to stop Angel Correa's effort from close range.
Experimentation for Emery
Despite not having a full squad at his disposal, Emery was able to experiment with a number of different players, opting to play with a 4-2-3-1 formation which saw Aubameyang deployed in a wide left position while Lacazette occupied a central strikers role.
Latest signing Matteo Guendouzi partnered Aaron Ramsey in the centre of midfield in the first-half and the 19-year-old had a steady game as he controlled the tempo nicely in the middle of the park while grafting hard to defend against a well-drilled Atletico side.
Saturday's fixture against Paris Saint-Germain will give Emery a further chance to assess his squad against his former club.