Odegaard strikes late as Arsenal edge Napoli in Champions League

Martin Odegaard scored the only goal as Arsenal opened their latest Champions League campaign with a 1-0 victory over Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday. The Guardian reported that the Arsenal captain settled the contest 15 minutes from time, extending his productive run to four goals in five matches.

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Arsenal controlled long stretches but did not convert several earlier opportunities. Bukayo Saka forced Alex Meret to save an overhead kick, while Mikel Merino missed after Eberechi Eze headed the ball across goal. Ben White also sent a shot directly at the Napoli goalkeeper during the first half.

Napoli posed a threat on the break. Kevin De Bruyne pressured David Raya into an error that Arsenal managed to survive, and Matteo Politano later tested the visiting goalkeeper. Saka fired over shortly before halftime after Odegaard played him through, with replays showing that the assistant referee's offside flag had been raised incorrectly.

Meret was replaced by Vanja Milinkovic-Savic at halftime. Arsenal continued to press after the interval, and Piero Hincapie missed the target at the far post following White's header. Napoli coach Max Allegri then moved his team into a back five as the hosts attempted to withstand the pressure.

The breakthrough came through a combination involving two Arsenal substitutes. Christos Tzolis exchanged passes with White before setting up Odegaard, whose shot went in off the post despite Milinkovic-Savic getting his fingertips to it. Kai Havertz, introduced shortly before the winner in place of Viktor Gyokeres, later had an injury-time goal ruled out for offside.

The result gave Arsenal a winning start after a previous European campaign in which they won all eight league-phase matches before ultimately falling short of the title. Manager Mikel Arteta said Odegaard's recent scoring reflected his willingness to enter decisive positions and take responsibility. Napoli, meanwhile, began their effort to improve on last season's 30th-place finish in the Champions League league phase with a home defeat.