Odegaard strike earns Arsenal opening Champions League win over Napoli

Arsenal began their Champions League campaign with a 1-0 victory over Napoli, as captain Martin Odegaard’s 75th-minute strike secured three points for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Odegaard settled the match with a powerful effort that found the back of the Napoli net, giving Arsenal a winning start in the league phase of the competition.

Arteta praised his players after the final whistle but said the scoreline did not fully reflect Arsenal’s performance.

“We absolutely deserved the three points,” Arteta told TNT Sports. “The performance perhaps does not reflect the result, because the team was excellent.”

Arsenal dominated the match and created 25 attempts on goal, while Napoli managed only six. Despite their control and attacking threat, the visitors were unable to turn a series of promising opportunities into a more comfortable victory.

“We showed great quality in many moments to break through their defence, and it was unfortunate that we missed many excellent chances,” Arteta added. “On any other day, the result would have been different.”

The Arsenal manager also highlighted the contribution of Odegaard, who produced the decisive moment with his long-range finish.

“Martin is contributing goals that affect results, and that is what we want from our attacking players – to be decisive,” said Arteta. “He certainly was again today.”

Arteta felt Arsenal should have put the result beyond doubt earlier, given the number of chances they created.

“We should have settled the match in a different way, considering the number of chances we created,” he said.

The victory gives Arsenal their first three points in this season’s Champions League as they continue their pursuit of a trophy that has never been won by the club.

The Gunners were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in last season’s final. It was the second time Arsenal had lost a Champions League final, following their defeat in 2006.