Odegaard Curls Winner as Arsenal Open Champions League Campaign in Naples

By Samuel Akpan

Martin Odegaard curled a precise winner into the bottom corner to hand Arsenal a winning Champions League start in Naples following a pre-match warning to fans and a night of missed opportunities.

Arsenal strongly advised travelling supporters not to wear club shirts or scarves and to stay off public transport, fearing they would become targets for Napoli ultras.

The captain, whose last season was damaged by injury and inconsistent form, stepped forward when his team needed him most and became match-winner for the second game running.

Odegaard’s influence was everywhere. He recorded 120 touches, completed 91 of 105 passes, created six chances including two big openings, won possession five times and came out on top in four duels.

The Norwegian added three shots, two successful dribbles and the solitary effort on target that settled the match.

Christos Tzolis slipped the ball to him just outside the box.

Odegaard’s eyes lit up as he surged forward on his cultured left foot, saw a gap and whipped a paced, precise shot into the bottom left corner.

Tzolis has now contributed four assists in only five Arsenal appearances.

Odegaard has four goals from five matches and is clearly on a personal mission to re-establish himself among the continent’s top midfielders.

The victory supplies early momentum in a tournament that has long eluded the club.

Arsenal were runners-up in 2006 and again in 2026, sandwiching a crushing Europa League final loss to Chelsea when Unai Emery was in charge.

Arteta has never won the Champions League either as a player or a manager — a notable absence across Arsenal’s 140-year existence.

A September evening in Naples will not decide who lifts the trophy yet it helps them avoid the play-off round.

The Gunners must treat the result as a reminder.

 Control of the ball and a flood of chances mean nothing if the finishing remains blunt.

By the 50-minute mark Arsenal had forced Napoli back into a tight defensive shell around their own box.

The Italians struggled to break out and any rare counter-attacks were quickly snuffed out.

Arteta made four changes from the team that defeated Chelsea on Sunday, evidence he had learned from last season.

 Viktor Gyokeres received a rare start in place of Kai Havertz and used his physical presence to hold up play.

One flash of quality saw the Swede deliver an instep cross that Bukayo Saka attempted to convert with an acrobatic scissor-kick.

A familiar theme of poor finishing ran through the performance as repeated openings either ended in the gloves of substitute goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic or flew harmlessly off target.

Napoli lined up without Scott McTominay, who had heart surgery earlier this week to treat an irregular heartbeat, and the injured Andre-Frank Anguissa.

Their midfield therefore looked exposed and depended heavily on 35-year-old Kevin De Bruyne.

Local radio stations spent the afternoon stressing that the Belgian playmaker needed to produce a standout display if Napoli were to compete.

Just before the break, Ødegaard slipped Saka through on goal, but the winger scuffed his one-on-one effort against the keeper.

Even though the offside flag eventually went up, it was still a glaring missed opportunity.

Saka, Odegaard and Ben White operated in perfect harmony, exchanging quick one-touch passes that constantly unsettled Napoli’s back line and opened lanes for the winger to surge forward.

Creating chances was never Arsenal’s problem; putting them away was. Five minutes after the interval Piero Hincapie ought to have scored.

Odegaard floated a clever chip onto Ben White, whose headed knockdown set up Hincapie, but the defender smashed the ball high over the bar from just in front of the penalty spot.