Odegaard Wonder Strike Gives Arsenal Winning Start At Napoli
Martin Odegaard's second-half strike proved the difference as Mikel Arteta's Arsenal dominated Napoli without reward until 15 minutes from time.
Arsenal Dominate But Wait Until Late To Break Through
Arsenal began their 2026-27 Champions League campaign with a 1-0 win away at Napoli, needing a moment of individual quality from captain Martin Odegaard to turn a one-sided match into three points. Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino both passed up clear first-half chances at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with Saka blazing over the crossbar from close range after being played through by Odegaard. Napoli, managed by Massimiliano Allegri, rarely threatened at the other end, though David Raya was called into action once to beat away a long-range effort from Kevin De Bruyne.
Odegaard Settles It With 15 Minutes Left
The breakthrough arrived with 15 minutes remaining, when substitute Christos Tzolis played a quick give-and-go with Odegaard, whose left-footed effort from just outside the box crept in off the far post. It was Odegaard's first Champions League goal since March 2025, and came days after he had also scored the winner against Chelsea in the Premier League. Arsenal pushed for a second late on, with Noni Madueke denied by substitute goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and a Kai Havertz tap-in ruled out for offside in stoppage time.
A Record Return To Continental Action
The result stretched Arsenal's unbeaten run in Champions League group and league-phase matches to 13 games, a streak bettered only by Bayern Munich's 17-match run between December 2020 and November 2023, and came in Arsenal's first European fixture since losing last season's final to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties. Arsenal also finished with 26 shots, their highest total on record in a single Champions League match, while Napoli's defeat followed back-to-back Serie A losses to Como and Inter.
Photo: X-@Anpic4k