Martin Odegaard once again proved himself indispensable for Arsenal, striking the decisive goal to secure a hard fought 1-0 win away at Napoli in their opening Champions League fixture of the season on Wednesday.

Arsenal dominated for long stretches without initially finding a breakthrough, registering 13 shots in the first half alone, their most in a Champions League away match since records began in the 2003-04 season, yet managing just three on target from that tally.

Chances went begging repeatedly through the opening period. Mikel Merino headed straight at goalkeeper Alex Meret from close range, making his first club start since January, while Bukayo Saka lifted a promising effort over the crossbar after being played through by Odegaard shortly before half time.

The profligacy continued after the restart, with Arsenal's shot count eventually climbing to 26 for the match, though only eight found the target. Defender Piero Hincapie somehow steered a close range opportunity over the bar early in the second half, adding to the growing list of missed chances.

Napoli, largely camped inside their own penalty area for much of the evening, offered little going forward themselves, though they did produce one genuine scare when David Raya spilled a long range effort from Kevin de Bruyne, only for Ben White to react quickest and clear the danger before any Napoli player could pounce.

With Arsenal's possession climbing above 70 percent around the hour mark, the breakthrough eventually arrived through their captain.

Odegaard collected the ball after a neat exchange of passes and struck a sharp finish from the edge of the box, sending the travelling Arsenal supporters into wild celebration.

It marked another standout contribution from the Norwegian, who has now scored four goals in just five appearances across all competitions this season, including a strike in the Community Shield, and continues to look increasingly like the player who inspired Arsenal's title challenge before recent struggles.

Head coach Mikel Arteta made four changes to the side that began the Premier League campaign strongly, though the alterations initially struggled to unlock Napoli's low defensive block.

Substitutes Bruno Guimaraes, Christos Tzolis and Kai Havertz all added fresh energy after coming on, with Tzolis in particular combining well with Odegaard to register another assist.

The victory arrives at the start of a demanding run for Arsenal, who face four away matches inside 11 days ahead of the international break, including trips to Sunderland in the league, Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup, and Brighton back in the Premier League, making squad rotation and fitness management an immediate priority for Arteta.