Landmark Erling Haaland goal, as Man City beat 10-man Napoli in Champions League
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Manchester City's Erling Haaland scores his team's first goal - his 50th in the Champions League - past Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
PHOTO: EPA
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- Haaland broke the Champions League record, scoring his 50th goal in 49 games, surpassing Ruud van Nistelrooy's previous record.
- Manchester City defeated 10-man Napoli 2-0, with goals from Haaland and Doku, in a dominant Champions League performance.
- Kevin De Bruyne received a warm welcome on his return, despite Napoli's Di Lorenzo red card impacting his game.
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MANCHESTER, England - Manchester City’s prolific striker Erling Haaland bagged a record-breaking goal as Pep Guardiola’s side kicked off their Champions League campaign with a dominant 2-0 victory over 10-man Napoli on Sept 18.
Haaland became the quickest player in Champions League history to hit 50 goals in what was his 49th appearance in Europe’s elite competition when he cleverly headed home Phil Foden’s perfectly-placed flick in the 56th minute.
Jeremy Doku doubled City’s lead in the 65th when he turned quickly and darted past two defenders before slotting the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic from a tight angle.
Serie A leaders Napoli were reduced to 10 men in the 21st minute when captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo was shown a straight red card for his last-ditch tackle on Haaland.
That spoiled the return of former longtime City captain Kevin De Bruyne, whose night was cut short after 25 minutes as Antonio Conte shuffled his team to adjust for the sending off.
City had the ball glued to their feet for most of the night and attacked in waves as Conte’s men defended for their lives and Milinkovic-Savic was kept on his toes with City taking 23 shots to Napoli’s one.
One of City’s best chances resulted in a diving save on the line from Milinkovic-Savic to prevent a near own-goal from Matteo Politano seconds before halftime.
Haaland had a couple of near-misses before his record-breaking goal.
He smashed the previous mark of 50 goals in 62 games by former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2007.
“Erling is always going to make that run,” said midfielder Phil Foden.
“It’s just about getting that connection. He seems to break every record going. It’s unheard of what he’s doing. What an unbelievable player.”
Haaland, who was not at his best last season, already has 12 goals in seven games for club and country so far this season.
Midfielder Jeremy Doku scores City’s second goal.
PHOTO: AFP
The 34-year-old De Bruyne, who won 16 trophies in a glittering decade at City before leaving for Italy when his contract expired in June, received a warm reception from the Etihad crowd. Banners dotted the stadium including a huge one that read: “King Kev, once a Blue, always a Blue.”
The fans chanted his name in the game’s dying seconds, and he did a lap of the pitch after the final whistle to thank them.
City, 2023 Champions League winners, are aiming to finish in the top eight in the league phase and clinch an automatic last-16 spot to avoid a two-legged knockout playoff after they were eliminated by Real Madrid in the playoffs last season. REUTERS
