The prospect of advancing to the Champions League round of 16 is promising. Odegaard hopes Arsenal can maintain the top 8 position

After Rice, Havertz and Odegaard scored, the "Gunners" Arsenal defeated Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 in the 7th round of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League. Arsenal captain Odegaard said he hopes the team can maintain the top 8 position and directly advance to the top 16 of the Champions League.

Just two minutes into the game, Rice received a pass from Havertz and volleyed the ball into the goal, helping Arsenal get off to a dream start with a 1-0 lead.

In the 66th minute of the second half, Martinelli sent a cross, Havertz jumped up and headed the ball in the face of the defense, helping Arsenal continue to lead Dinamo Zagreb 2-0. In the second half stoppage time, Trossard's pass was touched by the opponent's player, and Odegaard got the ball and volleyed it into the goal.

In the end, Arsenal defeated Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium. After three consecutive wins, Arsenal is currently ranked third in the Champions League standings with 16 points, 3 points ahead of Aston Villa, which is ranked ninth.

"I am very happy," said 26-year-old Arsenal midfielder Odegaard. "We won 3-0 at home, which was a strong performance. We are in a good position in the Champions League and have a chance to reach the top eight, so I am very happy."

"We expected them to play low and try to slow the tempo down. We scored early but then the tempo slowed down a bit and they did a good job of that. We could have been better in some areas of the game but we ended up getting the third goal."

Odegaard also said, "It feels great to score a goal. I have been waiting for the moment to score, and I have missed many opportunities before. I was in the right position in this game and rushed into the penalty area to score a goal, so it feels great."

On the other hand, Arsenal will travel to La Liga to challenge Girona in the next round of the Champions League, and Arteta's team only needs to remain unbeaten to advance directly to the round of 16.

Odegaard said, "In this new competition system, the team does not know how many points are needed to ensure promotion. This has always been the key, just playing one game after another and ensuring that the team is in the top 8. This is what we want, so we are very happy. The current situation looks good, but we still need to complete the final task."

"It's a very tight schedule. We must first get into the top eight to qualify directly, which is very important for us. We can also get some time to rest. Hopefully we can achieve our goal."