Napoli’s Crisis Deepens As Martin Ødegaard Sinks Max Allegri’s Side
The Napoli Arsenal clash ended in a 0-1 defeat for Napoli, with Ødegaard scoring and Meret's injury deepening Allegri's growing crisis at home.
Ginevra Cattaneo
Updated on 10 September 2026
Napoli’s Champions League opener turned into another chapter of an increasingly grim campaign as Martin Ødegaard’s sensational 75th-minute strike condemned the Partenopei to a 0-1 home defeat against Arsenal at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The result marked a third consecutive loss in all competitions for Massimiliano Allegri’s side, with the misery compounded by a fresh muscular injury to goalkeeper Alex Meret that forced him off at half-time.
A Crisis Deepens On The Continental Stage
This was League Phase Matchday 1 of the 2026/27 Champions League, and it could scarcely have come at a worse moment for Napoli.
Allegri’s men had already stumbled to defeats against Como and Inter domestically before facing an Arsenal side described in the match build-up as last season’s Premier League champions and Champions League finalists, a status Naples felt in full force across ninety pressurised minutes.
For wider context on how Serie A clubs are faring on Europe’s grandest stage this season, the broader Champions League picture for Italian football makes for sobering reading alongside Napoli’s own struggles, which followed on from an already difficult run of form heading into the new campaign.
An Injury-Ravaged Napoli Selection
Allegri’s team news told its own story of a squad stretched thin. Scott McTominay was unavailable after undergoing a heart procedure, while Alessandro Buongiorno, Luca Marianucci and Giovane remain long-term absentees.
Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa also missed out with an adductor injury, Noa Lang was left out for disciplinary reasons, and David Neres could only make the bench.
The upshot was that Kevin De Bruyne and Billy Gilmour were rushed into their first starts of the season.
Arsenal were not entirely at full strength either, missing William Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera, though Jurrien Timber returned to the squad after recovering from a groin issue. Italy international Riccardo Calafiori was restricted to the substitutes’ bench.
But it was Napoli’s night that turned properly sour when Meret, already struggling with a muscular issue on the inside of his left thigh, was replaced by Vanja Milinković-Savić at the interval, and Alisson Santos later followed him off with a muscular injury of his own.
It was Milinković-Savić’s first appearance of the new season. He had actually been Napoli’s first-choice goalkeeper last season under Antonio Conte, before Meret took over the role under Allegri this term.
Arsenal’s Siege Finally Breaks Through
The pattern of the contest was set from the opening whistle, with Arsenal dominating possession and camping in Napoli’s half for long stretches.
Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino and Piero Hincapié all fashioned chances, and it took a fantastic point-blank save from Meret to deny Merino’s diving header before injury forced the goalkeeper’s withdrawal.
Napoli’s best moment came when a neat passing move sent De Bruyne into space inside the box, but the Belgian opted to square a ball across an empty six-yard area rather than shoot, and the chance went begging.
The breakthrough, when it came, was worth the wait for the Gunners.
Ødegaard curled a left-footed shot from the edge of the area that Milinković-Savić only managed to fingertip onto the inside of the post before it nestled in, converting a pass from substitute Christos Tzolis, who had come off the bench to devastating effect.
It capped a hot run of form for Ødegaard, coming just three days after he scored the winning goal against Chelsea.
Arsenal nearly doubled their advantage soon after when Milinković-Savić denied Noni Madueke and Rafa Marín produced a goal-line clearance on the follow-up, before Kai Havertz thought he had added a second in stoppage time only to be ruled offside.
What Comes Next For Naples
Three straight defeats in all competitions now leave Allegri facing serious questions in Naples, with McTominay’s absence, Meret’s thigh problem and Alisson Santos’s injury all adding fresh complications to an already stretched squad.
Allegri gave a direct update on the fresh injuries after the match. “We’ll be without Alisson Santos for a while,” he said. “I’m not sure about Alex Meret.”
Arsenal’s next European assignment comes against Lille on October 13, with Napoli travelling to Villarreal on the same date as they look to arrest the slide. The result also extended a perfect start to the season for Arsenal across both competitions.
The extent of the injuries to Meret and Alisson Santos, and whether Napoli can find a response before that next continental test, remain the pressing questions hanging over Allegri’s early tenure.
Ginevra Cattaneo
Ginevra Cattaneo grew up in Bologna with a football shirt on her back and a match playing somewhere in the background at all times. From backyard arguments about whether Maldini or Baresi was the greatest ever to staying up late watching Champions League nights, the game has always been at the centre of her life. She brings that same passion and familiarity to everything she writes, covering Serie A, Italian football culture, and the rapidly growing world of women's football in Italy.
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