ONE TOUCH SUMMARY
- Ødegaard struck 15 minutes from time as Arsenal won 1-0 at Napoli in their Champions League opener
- Arteta hailed Ødegaard as 'decisive', with the captain on four goals in five games this season
- Arsenal recorded 26 attempts at Napoli, a club record for an away Champions League game
ONE TOUCH INSIGHT
Ødegaard scoring is a bigger deal for Arsenal than three points in Naples. The winner came fifteen minutes from time, off the post from the edge of the area — his fourth goal in five games this season, after one goal in 36 games last campaign.
The volume tells the story the scoreline hides. Arsenal had 26 attempts, a club record for an away game in the Champions League, and still needed that one strike. Saka missed badly in the first half; Merino headed too close to Meret, who went off at half time with a thigh injury. One goal from 26 attempts against a Napoli side defending deep is the ratio that decides whether this campaign ends differently.
Arteta's word was "decisive", and that is the shift. Ødegaard used to be the connective tissue, the passer before the pass. Now he is the finisher of last resort against a packed box, and he knew it: at some point it made sense to shoot from outside.
Track his shot count rather than his goal tally over the next league fixtures. Four in five is the headline; whether he keeps pulling the trigger when the area is crowded is what turns last season's one-goal return into an anomaly.
WHY IT MATTERS
Ødegaard's form is the difference between Arsenal's title-winning version and last season's injury-hit one, where he managed a single goal in 36 games. His scoring run now underpins a serious Champions League campaign.
TACTICAL FIT
Napoli defended deep, and Ødegaard's willingness to shoot from outside the box gives Arsenal a route through low blocks when Saka and Merino chances go begging.
THE DEBATE
Is Ødegaard now Arsenal's most important player in their trophy push?
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Are Arsenal building a Premier League dynasty? (1:03)
- ESPN News Services
Multiple Authors
Sep 9, 2026, 07:01 PM ET
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta hailed the "decisive" contribution of Martin Ødegaard after the captain fired his side to a 1-0 win in their Champions League opener at Napoli.
The Gunners, who are aiming to go one better than last season's final defeat this time around, looked like they would be frustrated by missed chances in Naples.
But Ødegaard continued his brilliant start to the campaign by coming up with the goods 15 minutes from time to give his side a winning start in the league phase, firing in off the post from the edge of the area.
It was his fourth goal in five games this season, including the Community Shield, as he looks to take his game to the next level. "Certainly Martin is contributing with goals that are impacting results which is what we want from our attacking players, being decisive and certainly he was again today," Arteta told TNT Sports.
Mikel Arteta has started Martin Ødegaard in every game so far this season.(Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Ødegaard lifted the Premier League title in May, but did so on the back of an injury-hit season in which he only managed one goal in 36 games across all competitions.
On Wednesday, he looked like the World Cup version of himself -- as Norway captain he provided four assists in a run to the quarterfinals in July.
"I didn't even see it go in," Ødegaard said of Wednesday's winner at Napoli, adding that with the hosts defending deep "at some point it made sense to shoot from outside the box."
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Arsenal needed it on a night where they had 26 attempts on goal -- a club record for an away game in the Champions League.
The barrage included a bad miss by Bukayo Saka in the first half and Mikel Merino's close range header that was aimed too close to Napoli's starting goalkeeper Alex Meret, who was replaced at halftime because of a thigh injury.
"We played brilliant football and should have scored many more goals, but we got there in the end," Ødegaard said.
Information from PA and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
AI-assisted · generated from ESPN FC reporting, not editor reviewed
