Arsenal suffered food poisoning before their win against Bayern.

Several Arsenal players had to miss matches or leave the field early due to food poisoning in Hong Kong.

The incident occurred just before the friendly match against Bayern Munich on the evening of July 19th. Striker Olivier Giroud had to leave the game early, while center-back Per Mertesacker was removed from the squad just before kick-off, both due to food poisoning.

Several other players only played for one half. New signing Sead Kolasinac had to leave the field at halftime, while Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott were only substitutes.

Despite the impact of the food poisoning incident, Arsenal didn't play too badly. The English team equalized 1-1 in the 90th minute thanks to Alex Iwobi, before winning 3-2 in the penalty shootout.

Substitute goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez (center) became the hero when he helped Arsenal beat Bayern in the penalty shootout. Photo: Reuters

"I was a little worried that we might run into a big problem tonight, and the first half showed that. Ramsey played the whole game, but Walcott, Kolasinac, Mertesacker and Giroud were all affected by food poisoning. The club hasn't found the cause yet," said manager Wenger.

The French manager also couldn't hide his concerns about the commercially driven matches: "If you ask whether this is the ideal physical condition to prepare for the new season, I would definitely say no. But we also get other benefits from touring. Meeting fans all over the world is a positive thing."

According to VNE