Fabio Vieira showed his quality during his substitute appearance as Arsenal defeated Barcelona 5-3 overnight in Los Angeles.
With the scoreline poised at 4-3, Vieira netted a stunning long-range effort to ensure his side secured the victory, emphatically smashing the ball past a helpless Inaki Pena Sotorres. It was the perfect cameo from the Portuguese Under-21 international, who had been spotted receiving criticism from Gunners boss Mikel Arteta during a training session earlier this summer.
The club shared a behind-the-scenes look during a training session earlier this month, which included some fast-paced passing drills. A loud cry of “Fabio!” could be heard from Arteta as the 23-year-old played a pass that placed one of his teammates under further pressure.
There were clips of Vieira performing well in other drills but the young midfielder was subsequently criticised for ball-watching. After playing a pass that saw his team get closed down, the talented playmaker was told: “You’re watching the game, there, Fabio, you’re watching the game.
"You give him a problem when you’re watching." Vieira joined the north Londoners last summer, completing a £34million deal from Porto.
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But his debut campaign at the Emirates Stadium was slightly underwhelming, failing to show much consistency in his limited minutes on the pitch. But he is still very young and adapting to life in England, showing his undeniable quality during the win against Barcelona last night.
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