Arsenal battle to win over Napoli

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Napoli 0 - 1 Arsenal

Martin Odegaard's excellent start to the season continued as the Arsenal captain came to his side's rescue against Napoli in Naples.

Author | DJ

Stadium | Stadio Diego Armando Maradona


The Gunners ere guilty of wasteful finishing and appeared destined for a frustrating draw in their first Champions League game since agonisingly losing last season's final.

However, Odegaard had Arsenal's 1,500 travelling supporters celebrating with a fine finish from outside the box, the captain's fourth goal in five games, including the Community Shield.

Piero Hincapié dropped to his knees after the final whistle and thumped the ground with his hands in relief at the result.

Arsenal won all eight group phase games on their way to last season's final, and they are up and running after a fine win in Italy.

A closer analysis of what happened in Naples

Mikel Arteta's side had missed three great chances to punish last season's Serie A runners-up before Odegaard's winner.

Arsenal completed 29 passes in the build-up to their winner, their second-most on record (since 2003-04) for a Champions League goal (33 for Lucas Perez's second at Basel in December 2016).

Mikel Merino was presented with a glorious chance to mark his first club start since January, but the Spain midfielder headed straight at goalkeeper Alex Meret midway through the first half.

Then Bukayo Saka looked set to break the deadlock only to lift his attempt over the bar before Hincapie blazed over from inside the six-yard area.

Watch | Highlights from BBC Sport

The Gunners did endure a couple of scares, most notably when David Raya spilt a shot from outside the box by Kevin de Bruyne, a Champions League winner with Manchester City in 2023. However, Ben White was quickest to react and clear the ball before the home side could pounce.

A further interesting stat

Arsenal registered 26 attempts. This is their highest total in a single match in the Champions League since the start of last season.

This is the place for Champions League news and stories from the 2026/2027 season

Click here to discover match reports and more from the 2026/2027 season in Europe's premier competition. 

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