Manchester City extended their impressive European form with a commanding victory over Napoli, as goals from Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku sealed a 2-0 win at the Etihad Stadium, Softfootball can report.
The match had initially been billed as an emotional occasion, marking Kevin De Bruyne’s return following his summer departure, with fans holding banners and applauding the City legend. De Bruyne eventually had time to wave to the fans after the game, with City sharing the moment on their official X handle.
Here is the video:
However, the game’s narrative quickly shifted when Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo was sent off midway through the first half after a VAR review revealed a reckless challenge on Haaland.
Reduced to ten men, Napoli’s hopes of competing on level terms faded, forcing Antonio Conte’s side into a defensive battle.
With their numerical disadvantage, Napoli displayed resilience in the opening half, with goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic producing a string of superb saves to keep the scoreline goalless at the interval.
Manchester City, however, had already created numerous chances, recording 16 shots before the break, and it was only a matter of time until they got their breakthrough.
The deadlock was finally broken in the second half when Phil Foden’s clever pass picked out Haaland, whose deft header left Milinkovic-Savic with no chance. Just as he did against Manchester United during last week’s derby, Haaland was again on the scoresheet for City.
The goal marked Haaland’s 50th Champions League goal in just 49 appearances, making him the fastest player in history to reach the milestone, surpassing Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record.
He has now netted 130 goals in 151 appearances for Manchester City, including an astonishing 74 in 71 games at the Etihad Stadium. Moreover, his current tally of 12 goals in just seven matches for club and country this season.
City’s dominance then grew as Doku added a second goal, showcasing the same flair and decisiveness that made him a standout performer in the recent Manchester derby.
