, as although they knew that the Gunners would dominate possession, the hosts were only undone by a Martin Odegaard curler off the inside of the far post.
NAPLES, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 09: Amir Rrahmani of SSC Napoli competes for the ball with Victor Gyokeres of Arsenal FC during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between SSC Napoli and Arsenal FC at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on September 09, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)
Alex Meret made a couple of big saves, but went off with a muscular injury, as did Alisson Santos, leaving the decimated squad with even fewer alternatives.
Kevin De Bruyne and Billy Gilmour were rushed back for their first starts of the season and had to play 94 minutes, as Scott McTominay, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Alessandro Buongiorno, Luca Marianucci and Giovane were out of action.
David Neres was only fit for the bench, with Noa Lang left out due to disciplinary measures.
Di Lorenzo frustrated at Napoli defeat
NAPLES, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 09: Giovanni Di Lorenzo of SSC Napoli during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between SSC Napoli and Arsenal FC at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on September 09, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)
“We knew that we were up against a great side with a lot of quality. Once again, we defended a little too deep, but it wasn’t easy to cover all the spaces. We also had a few potential scoring opportunities where we could’ve done better on the final ball,”
“It’s disappointing for the result, but we have another seven games to try and earn our qualification for the next phase.”
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Napoli were hoping to improve on Antonio Conte’s Champions League record, but have now failed to win any of their last four matches in the competition.
It is their longest negative streak since 2005 and a bad start to this format.
NAPLES, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 09: Bukayo Saka of Arsenal runs with the ball under pressure from Stanislav Lobotka of SSC Napoli during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between SSC Napoli and Arsenal FC at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on September 09, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
“After three defeats in a row, the confidence is certainly not great, because we want to do well, but we’ve got to keep working, doing what the coach asks,” added Di Lorenzo.
“It is only the beginning, details make the difference at this level and you get punished, so we must try to eliminate these errors and start getting positive results.
“Our heads are held high, we’re not happy with three defeats in a row, but we’ve got to keep working and improve from the next matches. This is a squad that always had the right attitude, so even though we were up against a strong team, we worked as a unit.”
