Arsenal beat Napoli 1-0 away in the Champions League on Wednesday, with Martin Odegaard scoring the only goal of the game in the 75th minute at Napoli's Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The result extended Arsenal's unbeaten start to the season. The English champions have now also beaten Manchester City 3-0, Coventry City 3-0, Aston Villa 1-0 and Chelsea 2-1 since the campaign began. Napoli, by contrast, arrived at the match on the back of back-to-back Serie A defeats, losing 2-1 to Como and 3-2 to Inter Milan in their last two league outings.
Saka Wastes Chances Before Half-Time
Arsenal created the first real openings, though Napoli's defenders blocked several early efforts. Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze both tried their luck, with Saka attempting an overhead kick in the 13th minute that flew straight at goalkeeper Alex Meret.
Napoli responded after roughly a quarter of an hour when Kevin De Bruyne struck from distance, forcing a save from Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, though no Napoli player could convert the rebound. Arsenal had a golden chance in the 22nd minute when Saka crossed to the back post, Eze headed the ball down, and Mikel Merino's diving effort was well saved by Meret.
Meret was kept busy for the rest of the first half. He denied a difficult strike from Piero Hincapie in the 32nd minute, and then produced another save to deny Saka, who missed a clear chance after a pass from Odegaard. The teams went into the break level at 0-0.
Napoli Change Goalkeepers
Napoli were forced into a change at the interval after Meret, who had performed well, picked up an injury. He was replaced by Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, a former Lechia Gdansk goalkeeper. Milinkovic-Savic was almost beaten immediately, with Hincapie missing from close range in the 50th minute.
Napoli's problems continued under coach Massimiliano Allegri, as Alisson Santos also suffered an injury during the match. The home side struggled to keep possession for long spells, which should have played into Arsenal's hands, but clear scoring chances and goals remained elusive for both sides through the middle of the second half.
Odegaard Breaks the Deadlock
The breakthrough finally came in the 75th minute. Christos Tzolis played the ball through to Odegaard after a well-worked move, and the Norwegian struck precisely with his left foot from around 20 metres out. The ball deflected off the post and into the net to open the scoring in a largely uneventful contest.
Napoli could not find an equaliser and were nearly caught on the counter late on. Noni Madueke squandered a one-on-one chance against Milinkovic-Savic after a pass from Kai Havertz, while a follow-up effort from Tzolis was blocked by a Napoli defender.
What's Next
The scoreline held to the final whistle. Arsenal have now won every match they have played this season across three competitions, while Napoli's losing run continued. In the next round of Serie A, Allegri's side will face Bologna, and Arsenal will travel to play Sunderland in the Premier League.
Napoli made a goalkeeping change at half-time (Meret for Milinkovic-Savic) and further substitutions saw Politano, Hojlund and Santos withdrawn during the second half. Arsenal used their bench too, bringing on Madueke, Havertz, Tzolis and Zubimendi among others. Referee Glenn Nyberg of Sweden booked Gilmour and Lucca of Napoli, along with Odegaard for Arsenal.
