Granit Xhaka played all 90 minutes of Switzerland's final warm-up match before the World Cup, but they were defeated 2-0 by Ghana in Abu Dhabi.
Our midfielder led his side out at the ZSC Stadium but didn't end up facing his Gunners teammate Thomas Partey, who remained on the bench for the Black Stars throughout.
Thomas saw his team run out victors thanks to goals from Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu and Bristol City striker Antoine Semenyo, which came within four minutes of each other midway through the second half as the Swiss began to tire in the 30-degree heat.
Post-match, our duo embraced on the field and had a quick chat before going their separate ways to continue their preparations for the group stage.
Both will get their tournaments underway in a week's time, with Granit taking on Cameroon on Thursday, November 24, before Thomas faces Portugal a few hours later.
Meanwhile, Takehiro Tomiyasu was an unused substitute as Japan were beaten 2-1 by Canada in Dubai.
Still working his way back from the hamstring injury that saw him sit out our final few matches before the World Cup break, Tomi watched on as the Canadians recovered from Yuki Soma's opener to win thanks to strikes from Steven Vitoria and a last-minute penalty from Lucas Cavallini.
Our defender will hope to be fit enough to play his part in the Samurai Blues' opening game, which comes on Wednesday, November 23 against Germany.
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