Misfiring Arsenal beat Napoli with Odegaard stunner in Champions League
Arsenal dominated play but needed a screamer from Martin Odegaard to seal three points in Napoli to open league phase.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard’s sensational late strike broke stern Napoli resistance as the English champions began their bid for Champions League glory with a hard-fought 1-0 win in Naples on Wednesday.
Mikel Arteta’s side, who lost to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in last season’s final, spurned several glorious chances against the well-drilled hosts before the Norwegian lashed a shot off the post and in from the edge of the area with 15 minutes to go.
It continued a perfect start to the campaign for Arsenal, who began their Premier League title defence with three wins in a row before condemning Massimiliano Allegri’s team to a third consecutive defeat.
The Gunners, who won all eight of their league phase games to kickstart their run to the final last season, continued to probe as Ben White produced a tame finish from a promising position before Meret scooped a Hincapie cross-shot off his line.