This match held significant emotional weight, marked by Kevin De Bruyne’s return following his summer transfer, with supporters displaying banners and giving applause to the City icon. Following the match, De Bruyne took a moment to acknowledge the fans, a moment shared by City on their official X account.
Here is the video:
The dynamics of the game shifted dramatically when Napoli’s captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo received a red card midway through the first half after a VAR review confirmed a reckless tackle on Haaland.
With a man down, Napoli’s ability to compete on equal footing was hampered, leading Antonio Conte’s team into a more defensive strategy.
Despite the setback, Napoli showed determination in the first half, as goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic made several outstanding saves to keep the score at 0-0 by halftime.
Manchester City, on the other hand, had already created a plethora of chances, registering 16 shots in the first half alone, making it clear that a goal was inevitable.
The breakthrough came in the second half, when Phil Foden’s clever assist found Haaland, who expertly directed a header past Milinkovic-Savic. Similar to his performance against Manchester United last week, Haaland once again found the net for City.
This goal marked Haaland’s 50th in the Champions League across just 49 matches, making him the fastest player ever to achieve this milestone, breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy’s previous record.
In total, he has scored 130 goals in 151 games for Manchester City, featuring an impressive 74 in 71 appearances at the Etihad Stadium. Additionally, he has amassed 12 goals in merely seven matches for both club and country this season.
City’s pressure continued to build, culminating in Doku scoring a second goal, exhibiting the same skill and effectiveness that characterized his performance in the recent Manchester derby.
