A precious victory at the Maradona and a source of satisfaction for Mikel Arteta. Arsenal beat Napoli 1-0 in their Champions League opener, and the Gunners manager praised his team's performance with flying colors.
"A fantastic Arsenal side, which I really liked. Given our desire and the way we played, what we did on the pitch doesn't reflect the result. But I'm happy because it wasn't easy to win here," Arteta commented to Prime Video.
The match was decided by Martin Odegaard, who struck a magnificent second-half finish from the edge of the box, the ball hitting the post before going in. The Spanish coach, however, believed the scoreline could have been even better given the performance his players put in.
"It's the first match, we played well and deserved to win. Napoli are a very difficult team to face," Arteta added. Arsenal thus took home three crucial points from their trip to Naples and kicked off their European campaign in the best possible way, while the Azzurri are dealing with their third consecutive defeat in both the league and the Champions League.
Key points from Arsenal's victory against Napoli
Here is a summary of the main points that emerged from the match between Arsenal and Napoli.
- Result: Arsenal won 1-0 against Napoli in their Champions League opener.
- Goal scorer: The decisive goal was scored by Martin Odegaard in the second half.
- Arsenal's performance: Mikel Arteta praised his team's performance, highlighting their desire and play.
- Napoli's difficulties: Arteta acknowledged that Napoli are a difficult team to face.
- Impact on rankings: With this victory, Arsenal starts their European campaign with three important points.
