Arsenal began their pre-season tour with a 3-2 win at Maribor on Thursday night.

The visitors stormed into an early lead through Dennis Bergkamp and Jeremie Aliadiere but they were pegged back in the second half through Milan Rakic.

As the game wore on, Arsenal became a little ragged - they are over here to get fit after all - but they deserved their victory. Substitute Robin Van Persie’s late header seemed to have sealed the win before Rakic popped up with a second just before time to make this friendly interesting until the end.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger named a young side, similar to the one that secured a 10-1 win at Barnet on Saturday. The Euro 2004 players are yet to return to training.

The visitors were ahead after only four minutes. Jose Antonio Reyes whipped in a near-post cross and keeper Tomaz Murko, under pressure from Jeremie Aliadiere, could only palm the ball out to the edge of the area. Bergkamp collected and finished with aplomb into the top of the net.

The Dutchman is just starting, what is expected to be, his final season before retirement.

It is doubtful he will be afforded the send-off Maribor’s Marinko Sarkezi received seven minutes after the goal. The 32-year-old defender was playing his last game after joining the Slovenian side seven years ago. He was substituted in the 11th minute and, as he trotted off, he posed for photographers holding a large framed pictured. It held up the game for several minutes but the crowd did not seem to mind and roared their appreciation.

Despite the interruption, a pacy, sharp-looking Arsenal side were well in control. In the 17th minute Jermaine Pennant sent over a rising right-wing cross and Aliadiere leapt high before meeting in with a powerful downward header. Murko got a toe to it but could not prevent the ball tricking over the line.

Midway through the half, Reyes was fouled in the D of the Maribor area. Bergkamp cheekily planted the ball in the unguarded net and the home defence organised themselves however referee Peter Sart order a re-take and this time the Dutchman fired wide.

Bergkamp was starting to pull the strings. In the 33rd, he flicked the ball over the Maribor defence for Francesc Fabregas to collect. His shot was half-smothered by Murko and the ball looked like running out for a corner. However, the lively Reyes raced through and flicked a dangerous ball across the face of goal before Zikica Vuksanovic cleared.

At this point, the sum of Maribor’s effort had been a ninth-minute free-kick that flashed well wide of Manuel Almunia’s right-hand upright. On the stroke of half time Milan Rakic sent another free-kick well wide of the other upright.

Wenger made changes at the break. Stuart Taylor, Sebastian Svard, Marco Ne and Emmanuel Eboue came on for Almunia, Gilberto, Fabregas and Gael Clichy respectively.

There was no sign of a comeback at the start of the second half. Bergkamp nearly added to his tally five minutes after the break but Vuksanovic blocked his near-post volley.

However Maribor came back into matters after that. Vuksanovic nodded over a free-kick from Peter Franci. Then, just past the hour, Rakic stooped in the area to plant home a close-range header from Ales Ceh’s corner

The home crowd, who had been quiet in the first half, were awake again. Six minutes later, the comeback was almost complete when Andrejs Kvas thumped the base of Taylor’s left-hand post with a snap-shot.

Aliadiere should have poked Arsenal back in front soon afterwards but his effort drifted wide. The Frenchman made way for Van Persie with 21 minutes left and the Dutchman got on the scoresheet late on to seal the victory. Pennant, as against Barnet looking penetrative, sent over a steeping cross from the right and Van Persie guided his header just inside the post.