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Arsenal's Martin Ødegaard (right) celebrates after scoring. Alamy Stock Photo
From The 42Captain Fantastic
Sensational Martin Ødegaard strike secures Arsenal win at Napoli
There were also wins for Barcelona, Stuttgart and PSG
Updated at 22.29
Champions League results:
- Barcelona 5-1 Feyenoord
- VfB Stuttgart 3-1 Viking
- Liverpool 2-1 Atletico Madrid
- Napoli 0-1 Arsenal
- PSG 6-1 Slovan
- Sporting 3-1 Galatasaray
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.
Arsenal’s next European test comes at home to Lille on Tuesday, 13 October, while Napoli travel to Villarreal on the same day as they look to bounce back.
Injuries to Scott McTominay and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa forced Allegri into a midfield reshuffle as Kevin De Bruyne and Billy Gilmour came in, while left-back Mathias Olivera was also selected after the hosts let a two-goal lead slip to lose 3-2 away to Inter Milan on Saturday.
Arteta made four changes from Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday as Piero Hincapie, Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres earned their first starts of the season.
The hosts set out to soak up pressure and frustrate last season’s runners-up, who struggled to break the low block early on and were almost caught out at the other end when De Bruyne and Matteo Politano both called goalkeeper David Raya into action.
Arsenal carved out a big chance midway through the first half when Merino’s header from eight yards out was pushed over the bar by Alex Meret.
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.
Rasmus Hojlund’s hold-up play was proving a useful weapon for Napoli on the counter, as Politano forced another save from Raya.
But it was Arsenal who ended the first half feeling they should have been in front after Saka was played through on goal and had only the keeper to beat, only to lift a poor finish over the bar.
- Napoli resistance broken -
Napoli were forced into a goalkeeper change during the interval as Vanja Milinkovic-Savic replaced the injured Meret, but Arsenal picked up where they left off as Hincapie wasted another good chance by scooping his shot over from five yards.
Arsenal continued to knock at the door to no avail until the 75th minute, when in-form Odegaard smashed an unstoppable shot in off the post from the edge of the area, just three days after scoring a winning strike against Chelsea.
The visitors had a huge chance to settle it with five minutes to go when Noni Madueke had a shot charged down by Milinkovic-Savic before fellow substitute Christos Tzolis’s follow-up effort was blocked on the line.
They were almost made to pay when a neat passing move from Napoli left De Bruyne with space in the box, but the Belgian opted to play a ball across an empty six-yard box instead of shooting.
Kai Havertz thought he had doubled the Gunners’ lead in stoppage time with a tap-in from Milinkovic-Savic’s parry, but the offside flag was up.
Elsewhere, Raphinha continued his superb goalscoring form with a brace as Barcelona demolished Feyenoord 5-1 to begin their Champions League campaign in perfect fashion on Wednesday.
Karim Adeyemi curled home brilliantly from long range in between Raphinha’s strikes and Lamine Yamal bent in a free-kick as Hansi Flick’s team made light work of their Dutch visitors.
After Sem Steijn pulled one back, Barca substitute Gabriel Jesus netted a fifth, the forward’s first goal since joining from Arsenal this summer.
The Catalan giants, who last won the competition in 2015, have triumphed in all five of their matches across all competitions this season — and scored five goals in four of them.
Brazilian winger Raphinha has been playing up front after Barca sold Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, and has rapidly taken to his new position, plundering eight goals in five games.
Flick made five changes to the team that thrashed Valencia on Sunday in La Liga, although he maintained star attackers Yamal and Raphinha, as well as new arrival Rodri in his line-up.
After days of baking weather in Barcelona, a storm broke ahead of the game, lashing rain down on the Camp Nou pitch and sending supporters scurrying for shelter.
By the time it stopped pouring early in the first half, Barcelona were already ahead.
Raphinha, retaining his role as the team’s central striker, netted the opener after three minutes.
The Brazilian was razor sharp to break into the box and cut inside, sending two defenders sliding the wrong way on the slick turf, before slotting home.
Adeyemi, in for Anthony Gordon, doubled Barcelona’s lead with a superb strike from outside the area, bent beyond Feyenoord goalkeeper Tjark Ernst.
Anis Hadj Moussa threatened for Feyenoord at the other end, but Joan Garcia pushed out his shot at the near post.
Barca kept generating openings and defender Joao Cancelo came close to adding a third when he skinned Givairo Read and crashed a shot against the outside of the post.
Raphinha netted again before the hour mark for Barca’s third, running on to Pedri’s perfect through-ball and slotting home.
The Dutch side thought they had pulled one back straight away when Nacho Ferri slotted home, but it was disallowed after a VAR review for offside in the build-up.
Barca substitute Fermin Lopez had an effort tipped wide before Yamal bagged the fourth, direct from a free-kick which crept through the wall.
Feyenoord sent on Shaqueel van Persie, the 19-year-old son of former Dutch international Robin van Persie, to try and salvage some pride.
Steijn eventually pulled one back for the visitors when he escaped Jules Kounde and Goncalo Borges picked him out with a dangerous low cross to the back post.
It was the only blot on Barca’s copy book on an otherwise strong start to their league phase, rounded off by Jesus’s glancing header from Yamal’s cross for the fifth.
In the other early game, Ermedin Demirovic scored a first-half hat-trick as Stuttgart eased to a 3-1 home win over Norwegian champions Viking, playing in the competition for the first time in 34 years.
Holders Paris Saint-Germain made a smooth start to their bid for a third consecutive Champions League title as Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 rout of Slovan Bratislava
PSG are hoping to become only the fourth club to win three European Cups in a row.
They wasted little time in picking apart Yaya Toure’s Slovan at the Parc des Princes.
Ousmane Dembélé hammered in a rebound and then nodded in a deflected cross to put Luis Enrique’s men two goals ahead inside 22 minutes.
Torres tapped home Dembélé’s cross just after the half-hour mark and drilled in his second less than two minutes after the restart.
Spain’s World Cup final hero completed his hat-trick in the 57th minute, shanking a shot with his knee that spun into the bottom corner.
Suleiman Camara crashed in a consolation for Slovan, but Fabian Ruiz had the final say for PSG when he pounced on a mishit clearance.
Sporting, quarter-finalists last season for the first time since 1983, fought back to see off Galatasaray 3-1 in Lisbon.
Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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