Erling Haaland Breaks Champions League Record as Man City Defeat Napoli

Erling Haaland scored his 50th UEFA Champions League goal in record-breaking fashion as Manchester City eased past 10-man Napoli with a 2–0 win at the Etihad Stadium.

But all eyes were initially on a returning hero. When Kevin De Bruyne stepped onto the pitch wearing a Napoli shirt, the blue half of Manchester erupted in appreciation. A massive "King KEV" banner hung from the stands and chants of the Belgian’s name echoed throughout the stadium. De Bruyne, who helped City lift 19 major trophies, was welcomed like royalty on his emotional return.

However, his night was short-lived. Just 25 minutes into the match, Napoli were reduced to 10 men as captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo was shown a straight red for a reckless challenge on Haaland. De Bruyne was immediately sacrificed, substituted by Antonio Conte for tactical reshuffling — not due to injury.

Up to that point, chances were few and far between. Napoli’s only notable effort came from Tijjani Reijnders, whose long-range strike was superbly saved by Ederson. But once Napoli went down a man, the floodgates nearly opened. City launched wave after wave of attack: Rodri, Josko Gvardiol, Matt O'Riley, and Haaland himself peppered the goal, but Vanja Milinković-Savić stood firm. The closest moment came in stoppage time of the first half, when a deflected shot almost trickled in — but Milinković-Savić clawed it away just before it crossed the line.

The breakthrough came in the 56th minute. Phil Foden, lively all night, lifted a delicate pass over two defenders, and Erling Haaland rose to head it past the keeper. That strike not only gave City the lead, but also made history: Haaland reached 50 Champions League goals in just 49 appearances, smashing the previous record held by Ruud van Nistelrooy (62 games).

Just nine minutes later, it was 2–0. Jérémy Doku danced through the Napoli defence inside the box, leaving Leonardo Spinazzola and Patrick Boëken behind before slotting home through Milinković-Savić’s legs. A moment of individual brilliance from the Belgian winger sealed the result.

From there, Manchester City calmly saw out the remainder of the match, content with a dominant performance and a clean sheet.

2025-26 UEFA Champions League

Manchester City - Napoli 2:0 (0:0)
Goals: Håland E., 56 (1:0); Doku J., 65 (2:0)

Manchester City: Donnarumma G.; Gvardiol (Lewis R., 80); Dias R.; Khusanov; Reijnders (Ake, 80); Rodri (Nico González, 60); Bernardo Silva; Foden; O'Reilly; Håland E. (Bobb, 80); Doku J. (Sávio Moreira, 69)
Substitution: Nico González (from 60); Sávio Moreira (from 69); Ake (from 80); Lewis R. (from 80); Bobb (from 80)
Bench: Trafford; Bettinelli; Matheus Nunes

Napoli: Milinkovic-Savic V.; Di Lorenzo (till 21); Buongiorno; Beukema; McTominay; Spinazzola; De Bruyne (Olivera M., 26); Politano (Juan Jesus, 55); Lobotka (Gilmour B., 71); Zambo Anguissa André-Frank (Elmas, 71); Höjlund R. (Neres, 71)
Substitution: Olivera M. (from 26); Juan Jesus (from 55); Gilmour B. (from 71); Elmas (from 71); Neres (from 71)
Bench: Meret; Ferrante; Gutiérrez M.; Vergara A.; Lang N.; Lucca L.; Ambrosino
Yellow Cards: Politano 52
Red cards: Di Lorenzo 21'