Dundalk boss heaps praise on his players after not committing a single foul in Arsenal loss

Dundalk boss Filippo Giovagnoli praised his side’s gentlemanly conduct at Arsenal as the Irish side became the first team to not concede a foul in a Europa League match.

The Lilywhites were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by the Gunners on Thursday night thanks to goals from Eddie Nketiah, Joe Willock and Nicolas Pepe but had an impeccable disciplinary record at the Emirates Stadium clash.

Italian interim boss Giovagnoli maintained that his side still fought hard during the game but chose not to use brute force to stop Arsenal from attacking them.

Filippo Giovagnoli described his team as ‘polite’ and ‘gentlemen’ in their 3-0 loss to Arsenal

The Irish side became the first team in Europa League history not to concede a foul in a match

The Dundalk manager said after the game: ‘Our team is so polite. They’re such gentlemen. 

‘They work hard and fight hard but won’t use other things to stop the opponent.’ 

The Irish side, who suffered their second Europa League defeat of the season on Thursday night, managed to hold the Gunners’ attack off for 42 minutes but a goalkeeping error from Gary Rogers at a defensive corner allowed Nketiah to prod home.

The Gunners won with goals from Eddie Nketiah (left), Joe Willock (right) and Nicolas Pepe

Two minutes later, Arsenal doubled their advantage towards the end of the half as Willock finished a quick breakaway move from the Gunners by scoring high into the Dundalk net.

Just seconds into the second-half, Pepe scored a fine curling effort into the top corner with his weaker right-foot to secure the match and the points for Mikel Arteta’s side. 

Giovagnoli was nearly not allowed to sit on the touchline at the Emirates Stadium due to not having the right UEFA coaching badges, but Europe’s governing body granted the Italian permission to sit on the Dundalk bench in north London.

Giovagnoli (right) maintains his side still fought hard against Arsenal despite the lack of fouls

Before August, the Italian had never coached an adult team and was working as the director of coaching at the Metropolitan Oval Academy in the New York borough of Queens when he was surprisingly given the job for one of Ireland’s biggest teams. 

Speaking to Sportsmail before the Arsenal match Giovagnoli said: ‘They were looking for something outside the box. Somebody strong to come and see the team with different eyes. 

‘The players appreciate the way we are judging them by what they do on the field and nothing else. I hope our story can be an example for everyone.’