What was supposed to be a gentle Wembley warm-up for Arsene Wenger’s fringe players took only 23 minutes to descend into a desperate and frenzied scramble for European survival.
By then, Arsenal were two goals down and by half-time they were being booed back into the dressing room by those who turned up to watch what was expected to be a formality.
Ostersunds of Sweden and their English manager Graham Potter may not supply the glitz and glamour they crave on European nights at the Emirates Stadium.
But they achieved perhaps the greatest result in their short history and gave their hosts a genuine scare.