Manchester City began their Champions League campaign with a confident 2–0 victory over Napoli at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday, powered by goals from Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku.
The match turned in City’s favour midway through the first half when Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo was shown a red card for pulling Haaland down as the striker broke through on goal. Forced to play with 10 men from the 21st minute, Antonio Conte’s Napoli sat deep and absorbed wave after wave of City pressure.
Despite firing 16 first-half shots, Pep Guardiola’s men couldn’t find the breakthrough before the interval, with Vanja Milinković-Savić pulling off a string of saves to frustrate the hosts.
City’s persistence eventually paid off in the 56th minute. Phil Foden floated a delicate cross into the box, and Haaland rose sharply to glance his header over Milinković-Savić. The strike was historic — Haaland’s 50th goal in the Champions League, achieved in just 49 appearances, making him the fastest player to reach the milestone.
Napoli, already under pressure, folded further when Doku doubled the lead 10 minutes later, twisting past Sam Beukema with flair before sliding a precise finish under the goalkeeper.
The win gives City the perfect start to their European campaign as they now turn their focus to Sunday’s Premier League clash with Arsenal, a test of their depth and momentum.
