Haaland Hits 50 as 10-Man Napoli Fall to Man City
Manchester City’s Champions League opener against Napoli had everything you’d expect from a European night at the Etihad—big names, big drama, and a record that will be remembered for years. It ended 2-0 to City, but the story was much bigger than the scoreline.
The night was supposed to be about Kevin De Bruyne’s emotional return. The Belgian, who left City in the summer after winning almost everything there was to win, was back on Manchester soil wearing Napoli’s colors. Fans inside the stadium held banners for him, calling him “King Kev,” and there was a warm round of applause for their former hero. But his evening was cut short when Giovanni Di Lorenzo was sent off midway through the first half, forcing Antonio Conte to sacrifice De Bruyne in order to reorganize his side.
The sending-off changed everything. At first, the referee waved play on when Di Lorenzo brought down Erling Haaland, but VAR told him to check the monitor. The replay showed Di Lorenzo’s boot catching Haaland, and the Napoli captain was dismissed. From that moment on, it was always going to be a long night for the Italians.
Despite playing a man down, Napoli’s goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic was outstanding in the first half. He pulled off a string of brilliant saves as City racked up 16 attempts before the break. Conte’s men defended bravely, but they couldn’t hold out forever.
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The breakthrough came in the second half, and of course, it was Haaland. A delightful scooped ball from Phil Foden found the Norwegian, who guided a header past Milinkovic-Savic. That was his 50th Champions League goal, achieved in just 49 matches—faster than anyone in history. For context, the previous record belonged to Ruud van Nistelrooy, who needed 62 games to get there. Haaland’s numbers are simply staggering.
City’s second goal came from Jérémy Doku, who was unstoppable all night. Picking up the ball on the left, he skipped past defenders as if they weren’t there and slotted calmly into the net. It was a solo effort that underlined just how dangerous he’s becoming in Guardiola’s system.
While Haaland and Doku grabbed the headlines, Phil Foden was also brilliant, pulling strings and creating problems for Napoli all evening. He was named player of the match, and deservedly so.
As for Napoli, the night was full of frustration. De Bruyne’s return was overshadowed by his early substitution, Rasmus Højlund struggled up front, and Scott McTominay couldn’t get into attacking positions. Conte admitted afterwards that once the red card happened, it was “impossible” to play against City.
For Pep Guardiola, this was the perfect tune-up ahead of a huge Premier League clash with Arsenal on Sunday. He praised his side’s composure and said the team had found “a different feeling” in recent games. With Haaland scoring at a frightening rate, Doku growing in confidence, and the team looking sharp, City head into that showdown full of belief.
On this night, though, the spotlight was firmly on Haaland’s milestone. Fifty goals in under fifty games—records are being rewritten before our eyes, and Manchester City look ready to keep marching on.
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