Arsenal opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with a 1-0 victory over SSC Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples on Wednesday.
Norwegian midfielder Martin Odegaard scored the winning goal in the 75th minute to secure three points for the Gunners in a challenging away fixture on the first matchday of European competition.
Arsenal dominated play throughout the encounter in southern Italy, controlling possession against a cautious and inaccurate Napoli side. The Italian hosts defended stubbornly to maintain a 0-0 deadlock for much of the evening, but Odegaard broke the equality late in the second half to deliver victory for the visiting team.
Napoli were unable to find a response in front of their home supporters at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. The stadium in Naples is named in honor of legendary Argentine footballer Diego Maradona, who led the Italian club during their historic title wins in the 1980s.
Arsenal extend European winning streak
The victory in Italy continues a remarkable run of form for Arsenal in Europe's premier club competition. Last season, the English champions reached the Champions League final after an impressive group stage campaign in which they won all eight of their matches in the liguilla phase.
With Wednesday's victory, Arsenal have now recorded 13 consecutive wins in the group stage of the Champions League. The North London club, which competes in England's Premier League, has established a strong record in continental group matches across consecutive seasons.
Match-winner Odegaard, who serves as team captain and plays for the Norwegian national team, proved decisive once again by scoring the lone goal that separated the two teams in Naples.
Upcoming Champions League fixtures
The competition pauses until the second matchday in mid-October, when Arsenal will host French club Lille at their home stadium in London.
Napoli will seek to recover from their opening loss when they travel to Spain to face Villarreal in their next European fixture. Villarreal will also be searching for their first points of the competition after suffering a 3-2 defeat away to German club Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.
