Norwegian international midfielder Martin Ødegaard led his side Arsenal, last season's Champions League runners-up, to a valuable win away in Italy, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory over hosts Napoli on Wednesday at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, in the opening round of the Champions League's unified league phase.
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The Gunners' captain scored the game's only goal in the 75th minute, following a pass from new signing, Belgian-born Greek international Christos Tzolis, who joined from Club Brugge.
The win marked Arsenal's fourth victory over Napoli in five meetings between the two sides to date, and the fourth clean sheet, in their first meeting since the Europa League quarterfinals in the 2018-2019 season.
Arsenal came agonizingly close to their first-ever Champions League title last season, but lost on penalties to PSG in the final in Budapest.
But after winning the Premier League title for the first time in over two decades, Spanish coach Mikel Arteta has entered this season determined to bring his side back to that level once again.
Arteta made four changes to the lineup that beat neighbors Chelsea 2-1 last weekend.
Ecuadorian international defender Piero Hincapié made his first competitive start of the season, replacing standout Italian international defender Riccardo Calafiori, while Mikel Merino, freshly back from winning the World Cup with Spain, came in for Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Sweden's Viktor Gyökeres led the attack in place of Germany's Kai Havertz, while Arteta opted to start Ebere Eze ahead of Tzolis.
Napoli coach Massimiliano Allegri, meanwhile, made three changes to the lineup that squandered a two-goal lead against Inter (2-3) in Serie A on Saturday, bringing in former Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, Scotland's Billy Gilmour, and Uruguay's Mathías Olivera, while fellow Scottish international Scott McTominay remained sidelined following recent successful heart surgery.
Napoli suffered their third straight loss, and their third at home in their last 22 matches in Europe's most prestigious club competition, having finished 30th last season and reached the quarterfinals just once, back in 2023.
The Gunners imposed themselves on a Napoli side that looked timid and lacked precision. The London club had to wait until the 75th minute to break the deadlock through captain Ødegaard.
Arsenal, who had a perfect record of eight wins in eight matches during last season's league phase, extended their Champions League group-stage winning streak to 13 consecutive victories.
In the next round in mid-October, the English champions, considered one of the leading contenders to win the 2026-2027 Champions League, will host France's Lille, while Napoli travel to face Spain's Villarreal.
