Erling Haaland became the fastest player in Champions League history to reach 50 goals as Manchester City opened their 2025-26 European campaign with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Napoli at the Etihad Stadium.
Haaland reached the half-century mark in just 49 games, 13 fewer than Ruud van Nistelrooy, who previously held the record. The Norwegian striker opened the scoring early in the second half with a header from Phil Foden’s lofted pass, beating Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and securing the breakthrough. Jérémy Doku added a second in the 65th minute, taking advantage of a tiring Napoli defence and slotting a low finish into the far corner.
The match turned in City’s favour in the first half when Napoli were reduced to ten men. Giovanni Di Lorenzo received a red card for bringing down Haaland as he raced through on goal, forcing a tactical reshuffle by Napoli and prompting Pep Guardiola to make an early substitution, with Kevin De Bruyne replaced by Mathías Olivera.
City dominated throughout, registering 23 shots to Napoli’s solitary effort. Phil Foden, Rodri, Nico O’Reilly, and Josko Gvardiol all tested Milinkovic-Savic, keeping the Italian goalkeeper busy before Haaland finally broke the deadlock.
Despite the sending off, Napoli managed to hold City at bay until the second half, with City controlling possession and creating multiple chances. The win marked a confident start for Guardiola’s side, who are looking to improve on last season’s Champions League campaign, which ended in the knockout play-off round against Real Madrid.
