Odegaard’s strike silences “Maradona”: Arsenal beats Napoli in the Champions League
Napoli kicked off its campaign in the group stage of the 2026–2027 Champions League with a home loss to English champions Arsenal. At the “Maradona” Stadium, the Gunners won 1-0 in a match that was anything but exciting, decided by Martin Odegaard’s winning strike in the 75th minute, a goal deserved more for the overall volume of play than for any truly dangerous chances in front of the goal defended by Meret in the first half and Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in the second.
Allegri started with a 4-3-3: Di Lorenzo and Olivera on the wings, De Bruyne, Gilmour, and Lobotka in midfield, and Politano and Alisson Santos up front supporting Hojlund. On the other side, Arteta sticks with his classic 4-2-3-1, with White and Hincapié running down the flanks, Rice and Merino forming a midfield barrier, and Gyokeres as the center forward, backed by Saka, Odegaard, and Eze.
The first truly dangerous chance came in the 22nd minute: Merino sent a powerful header toward the goal, but Meret pushed it out for a corner. Arsenal pressed hard, but despite their efforts, they were repeatedly thwarted by the Friuli goalkeeper, who, however, had to leave the goal at halftime due to a muscle injury. Milinkovic-Savic came on in his place and was immediately tested by Hincapié’s energy; however, the Ecuadorian’s shot in the 50th minute missed the target.
Not only did Napoli fail to capitalize on their chances, but in the 58th minute, they also lost Alisson Santos to injury: Vergara came on in his place, alongside Favasuli (the latter replacing Politano). Between the 66th and 73rd minutes, Arteta made four substitutions: Bruno Guimaraes, Tzolis, Havertz, and Madueke replaced Merino, Eze, Gyokeres, and Saka. However, it was one of the starters who scored the winning goal in the 75th minute: Tzolis’s pass found Odegaard, who took a shot; Milinkovic-Savic deflected it, but the ball struck the inside of the post and went in for the 0-1 lead.
In the closing minutes, David Neres and Lucca came on for Hojlund and Lobotka on one side, while Zubimendi replaced White on the other: in the 89th minute, Napoli had a good chance with De Bruyne, who broke free and sent in a dangerous cross, but there was no one in front of goal and the opportunity fizzled out. Four minutes of stoppage time (during which a goal by Havertz was also disallowed for offside) were not enough: Napoli remains stuck on zero points; their next Champions League match will be away at Villarreal on October 13.
