Erling Haaland bagged a record-breaking goal as Manchester City kicked off their Champions League campaign with a dominant 2-0 victory over 10-man Napoli.
Haaland became the quickest player in Champions League history to hit 50 goals in what was his 49th appearance in Europe's elite competition when he cleverly headed home Phil Foden's perfectly-placed flick.
Jeremy Doku doubled the lead for Pep Guardiola’s side when he turned quickly and darted past two defenders before slotting the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic from a tight angle.
Napoli were reduced to 10 men in the 21st minute when captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo was shown a straight red card for his last-ditch tackle on Haaland and that spoiled the return of City legend Kevin De Bruyne, whose night was cut short after 25 minutes as Antonio Conte shuffled his team to adjust for the sending off – ultimately a futile move.
Follow all the action from the Etihad Stadium with our live blog below
Man City vs Napoli live
- Manchester City beat 10-man Napoli 2-0 in the Champions League
- Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku score but Kevin De Bruyne subbed early in his Etihad homecoming after Napoli red card
- REPORT: Erling Haaland ruins Kevin De Bruyne’s homecoming to show how Man City have changed
- 65' - GOAL! Doku produces lovely finish after quick feet create chance (MCI 2-0 NAP)
- 57' - GOAL! Haaland becomes quickest man to 50 Champions League goals with flicked header (MCI 1-0 NAP)
- 26' - DE BRUYNE SUBBED! De Bruyne's homecoming ruined by red card as he is sacrificed for a defender (MCI 0-0 NAP)
- 20' - RED CARD! Napoli captain Di Lorenzo sent off after VAR check for lunge on Haaland (MCI 0-0 NAP)
Erling Haaland ruins Kevin De Bruyne’s homecoming to show how Man City have changed
22:26 , Luke BakerIt started out as a nostalgic night for Manchester City but they could afford to celebrate their past. They were not harmed by it as their present and future dominated instead.
Kevin De Bruyne’s return to the Etihad Stadium was an anticlimactic affair, cruelly curtailed. Erling Haaland was indirectly responsible for that, his pace and power leading to De Bruyne being sacrificed. Perhaps when the Norwegian enveloped his old sidekick in a hug at the final whistle, it was accompanied by an apology.
While Napoli had signed City’s greatest ever player, they could trace their defeat to the man surely destined to become City’s record scorer.
And records tend to follow Haaland...
Read Richard Jolly’s full report from the Etihad:
Erling Haaland ruins Kevin De Bruyne’s homecoming to show how Man City have changed
Phil Foden reflects on impressive win
22:14 , Luke BakerPhil Foden assisted Erling Haaland's 50th Champions League goal and impressed in tonight’s win.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Foden said: "They were a nightmare team to breakdown. I thought we were pretty clever and didn't give away too many turnovers.
"The first half was a bit frustrating. I wasn't getting too many touches between the lines. Erling is always going to make that run. It's just about getting that connection. He seems to break every record going. It's unheard of what he's doing. What an unbelievable player.
On Kevin de Bruyne's return: "He's a legend of the club. I can't thank him enough for what he has done. He's forever going to be a legend here."
De Bruyne embraces former teammates
22:02 , Luke BakerNot the way Kevin De Bruyne wanted his night to go but he embraces his former Man City teammates after the game. Forever a City legend
A warm embrace between Kevin De Bruyne and his former City team-mates at full-time 🤗
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FULL-TIME! Man City 2-0 Napoli
21:53 , Luke BakerThat has to go down as a job well done by Man City.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s early red card for Napoli changed the dynamics of this contest and though they were stubborn, City eventually broke them down.
Phil Foden chipped a ball in for Erling Haaland to head him his 50th Champions League goal in 49 games. That’s at least 13 matches quicker than any other player in history has reached 50 UCL goals. Jeremy Doku added a neat second goal shortly after.
Kevin De Bruyne’s Etihad homecoming was ruined by the red card as he was subbed off on 26 minutes as Antonio Conte reinforced his defence. But three points for City and they kickstart their European campaign in style..
Man City 2-0 Napoli, 90 mins
21:50 , Luke BakerInto two minutes of injury time as the Etihad Stadium quickly empties. Gotta beat that Manchester traffic
Man City 2-0 Napoli, 84 mins
21:47 , Luke BakerThis match has petered out now. Both teams know the way this is going.
Man City 2-0 Napoli, 79 mins
21:41 , Luke BakerMore changes for City. Reijnders, Gvardiol and Haaland wander off as Rico Lewis, Nathan Ake and Oscar Bobb enter the fray for the final 10 minutes.
This has been a job well done by Pep Guardiola’s men.
WATCH: Doku dances his way through for goal number two
21:34 , Luke BakerHere was that second City goal. Great feet by Jeremy Doku
Doku dances his way through the Napoli defence as he doubles Man City's lead 😮💨
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Man City 2-0 Napoli, 71 mins
21:32 , Luke BakerTriple change for Napoli as Anguissa, Lobotka and Hojlund all trot off to be replaced by Elmas, Gilmour and Neres.
The horse has already bolted when it comes to getting a result
Man City 2-0 Napoli, 68 mins
21:30 , Luke BakerJob done for Doku, who is given a rousing ovation as he’s subbed off for Savinho. It was a classy goal.
City cruising now at two goals to the good
GOAL! Man City 2-0 Napoli (Jeremy Doku, 65 mins)
21:27 , Luke BakerWell, this is lovely from Jeremy Doku. And a goal that his lively performance has deserved.
Man City are patiently building around the edge of the box and Doku suddenly injects some pace. He darts into the area, slips between two defenders, drives past another to the left of the goal and slips a finish between the legs of Milenkovic-Savic. Sublime!
WATCH: Haaland's historic goal
21:25 , Luke BakerHere’s Erling Haaland’s 50th Champions League goal in just his 49th game. And a lovely finish it was too
A simply fabulous header from Erling Haaland 💥
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'Haaland smashes Champions League record'
21:24 , Richard Jolly at the Etihad StadiumSenior Football Correspondent Richard Jolly at the Etihad this evening:
“Erling Haaland becomes the fastest to 50 Champions League goals, in just 49 games. The previous quickest was Ruud van Nistelrooy, in 62. He’s smashed the record.”
Man City 1-0 Napoli, 60 mins
21:21 , Luke BakerAre thoughts starting to turn towards Arsenal on Sunday for Man City? Talisman Rodri subbed off on 60 minutes by Pep Guardiola, presumably to protect him, as Nico Gonzalez comes on
GOAL! Man City 1-0 Napoli (Erling Haaland, 57 mins)
21:18 , Luke BakerThere’s the breakthrough! And it’s the Foden to Haaland connection that worked so well at the weekend.
Foden spins on the edge of the area and then chips a ball between two defenders, Haaland is coming across from the left and flicks a header over the helpless Milinkovic-Savic to break the deadlock! Class!
He’s the fastest man in history to 50 Champions League goals, in just 49 appearances
A simply fabulous header from Erling Haaland 💥
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Man City 0-0 Napoli, 54 mins
21:16 , Luke BakerA cynical pull back on the halfway line from Politano on a marauding Doku and he takes the yellow card. Professional foul, which I always respect.
That’s followed by a sub for Napoli and it’s Politano himself who’s hooked after that booking, with Juan Jesus coming on. Job done for the experienced defender, although he doesn’t look thrilled at being taken off
CLOSE! Man City 0-0 Napoli, 50 mins
21:12 , Luke BakerGood patience down the left by Man City, Doku picks his moment and slips the ball into Foden. He gets a shot away with his left foot and it flashes across the face of goal, just wide. Close.
City have had five shots on target but now 19 off target in this game. A little bit more ruthlessness in the final third required.
Man City 0-0 Napoli, 48 mins
21:09 , Luke BakerYou’d expect an Antonio Conte team to be defensively disciplined and this Napoli side are that.
City start the second half as they ended the first and are peppering the visitors’ penalty box. Reijnders sends a low ball fizzing in and i’s blocked behind. The corner comes to nothing
KICK-OFF! Man City 0-0 Napoli
21:06 , Luke BakerBack underway in Manchester. City will likely continue their domination but can they score?
WATCH: Napoli down to 10 men and De Bruyne subbed off
21:00 , Luke BakerHere were the two key moments in that first half. Giovanni Di Lorenzo sent off for a lunge on Erling Haaland and then Kevin De Bruyne subbed off on his Etihad return to allow a defensive rejig
Napoli are down to 10 men after Di Lorenzo receives a straight red for a challenge on Haaland ❌
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Kevin De Bruyne makes way for Olivera on his return after Napoli go down to 10 men 🔄
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HALF-TIME! Man City 0-0 Napoli
20:53 , Luke BakerAnd that’s half-time. Phew! The Di Lorenzo red card on 20 minutes has changed the complexion of this game now.
Man City are piling on the pressure and the door is creaking but not yet broken down. There have been some brilliant saves by Napoli’s giant Serbian goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
Kevin De Bruyne, on his Etihad return, was subbed on 26 minutes as Antonio Conte rejigged his troops. Not the way he wanted his homecoming to go.
Surely City break through after the break. Surely...
CLOSE! Man City 0-0 Napoli, 45+2 mins
20:50 , Luke BakerNapoli clinging on now! They’re desperate for half-time.
Reijnders sweeps a low shot towards the left corner from the penalty spot and it looks like it’s going wide but Politano sticks out a leg. That deflects the ball goalwards and it looks destined to go in but Milinkovic-Savic dives on it at the last second before it crosses the line.
Huge celebrations and chest thumping form Politano, I can only assume out of relief...
'Attack-versus-defence exercise now
20:48 , Richard Jolly at the EtihadHere’s the latest from Senior Football Correspondent Richard Jolly at the Etihad:
“It's an attack-versus-defence exercise now. Napoli have defended well – they have a back four, but it sometimes looks like a five or a six – and the giant goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic is starting to make some terrific saves.”
CLOSE! Man City 0-0 Napoli, 45 mins
20:46 , Luke BakerReijnders makes a dart into the box where Foden clips in a ball from the right and the Dutchman flicks a back-header towards goal but just over the bar. They’re pushing...
Four minutes of injury-time at the end of the first half.
Man City 0-0 Napoli, 44 mins
20:45 , Luke BakerMan City have been knocking on the door but haven’t quite found a way through yet. The near-misses are piling up.
This would be some defensive effort if Napoli hold on all the way to full-time here though
Man City 0-0 Napoli, 41 mins
20:44 , Luke BakerGvardiol surges forward, as he is wont to do, and sends a dipping shot that is inches wide. Milinkovic-Savic may have had it covered
SAVE! Man City 0-0 Napoli, 41 mins
20:43 , Luke BakerAnother City corner after Reijnders was denied a clear shot at goal by a desperate lunging clearance. It’s half-cleared but Silva curls a gorgeous ball in, Reijnders heads well and Milinkovic-Savic springs to his right to push the ball behind for another corner.
Again the ball in, again a header and AGAIN, Milinkovic-Savic dives full length to tip the ball away. He’s making save after save.
WATCH: DE Bruyne subbed off early on
20:40 , Luke BakerHere’s the moment Kevin De Bruyne was subbed by a ruthless Antonio Conte to rearrange his defence after going down to 10 men
Kevin De Bruyne makes way for Olivera on his return after Napoli go down to 10 men 🔄
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SAVE! Man City 0-0 Napoli, 37 mins
20:39 , Luke BakerIt’s all Man City now as you might expect. They’re whipping balls into the box and firing shots at goal.
Napoli are holding on here and Rodri thumps a low volley when the ball comes out to him but Milinkovic-Savic saves well down to his right
'Oh dear Kevin De Bruyne'
20:37 , Richard Jolly at the EtihadAnother thought from Senior Football Correspondent Richard Jolly at the Etihad:
“Oh dear, Kevin De Bruyne, sacrificed after Di Lorenzo's red. Not the way he must have wanted tonight to go.”
'The danger of allowing Haaland to be isolated one-on-one '
20:35 , Richard Jolly at the EtihadHere’s our Senior Football Correspondent Richard Jolly’s thoughts on that red card from inside the Etihad:
“Farewell to Giovanni di Lorenzo, whose red card showed the danger of allowing Haaland to be isolated one-on-one against anyone.
“Napoli had looked rather well organised until then. Now they will need a rejig without their captain, Italy's Euro 2020-winning right-back and a good friend of Gianluigi Donnarumma. It looks like Matteo Politano has got both the armband and the right-back role.”
Napoli are down to 10 men after Di Lorenzo receives a straight red for a challenge on Haaland ❌
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Man City 0-0 Napoli, 30 mins
20:34 , Luke BakerThe ball is pinged to Foden who has drifted into a central area and the England international takes a shot from outside the box but it’s straight at Milinkovic-Savic
DE BRUYNE SUBBED! Man City 0-0 Napoli, 26 mins
20:32 , Luke BakerWOW! This is a huge shame. Kevin De Bruyne’s homecoming is ruined by that red card as he gets sacrificed and subbed off on 26 minutes.
Antonio Conte shuffles his pack and sends on Mathias Olivera to fill the defensive hole.
De Bruyne gets a standing ovation from all four sides as he makes his way off but he looks gutted.
CLOSE! Man City 0-0 Napoli, 24 mins
20:27 , Luke BakerReijnders whips a cross in from the left and Haaland rises highest but his flicked header is millimetres over the bar. That was close
Man City 0-0 Napoli, 22 mins
20:25 , Luke BakerReijnders takes the free-kick, straight into the wall and out for a corner. That is then well-claimed by Milinkovic-Savic.
Napoli will need to rearrange things here. They’d looked solid defensively but, now down to 10 men, it’s a big ask
RED CARD! Man City 0-0 Napoli (Giovanni Di Lorenzo, 20 mins)
20:22 , Luke BakerAND IT’S A RED CARD! A quick check of the monitor from the referee and the replay shows there was no contact with the ball.
Haaland was clean through on goal, so it’s a clear denial of a goalscoring opportunity and Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo has to go. He has the look of a man who knew what was coming.
Napoli down to 10 men and this is huge for City.
VAR CHECK! Man City 0-0 Napoli, 19 mins
20:21 , Luke BakerStunning ball through by Foden with the outside of the foot, splitting two defenders and letting Haaland run on to it. Di Lorenzo lunges from behind and Haaland goes down just outside the box but the referee waves play on.
Huge appeals from the City players and crowd and now we’ll have a VAR check...
SAVE! Man City 0-0 Napoli, 18 mins
20:19 , Luke BakerYoung City left-back O’Reilly concedes the first Napoli corner of the evening. The big boys come up from the back, so it’s good morning to Buongiorno.
It’s the other centre-back Beukema who gets his head to the ball though and Donnarumma has to get down sharply to his right to pull off the save. That was close and a warning for City
Man City 0-0 Napoli, 16 mins
20:16 , Luke BakerDoku makes a dart for the by-line where Politano is able to stick out a leg and block the cross for a corner.
Gvardiol and Haaland both go for the ball from the corner but it bounces off the Norwegian and well over the bar.
Man City 0-0 Napoli, 14 mins
20:15 , Luke BakerIncidentally, De Bruyne's first 10 minutes back at the Etihad saw him have four touches, makes three passes and complete them all for 100 per cent pass accuracy. Make of that what you will
Man City 0-0 Napoli, 12 mins
20:13 , Luke BakerSpinazzola twists and turns his way past Khusanov but the Man City right-back recovers to lunge and block the cross. That was a good battle.
The ball does eventually go into the box and falls to Anguissa but City scramble away
SAVE! Man City 0-0 Napoli, 9 mins
20:11 , Luke BakerCity work the ball down the left, it’s fed inside to Reijnders and he thunders a shot at goal that is well tipped over by Milinkovic-Savic. Decent save.
Foden’s corner then goes all the way through to Doku at the back post, who looks surprised that it’s come to him. He takes a touch but a defender get across and the ball is blocked. Promising for City though
Man City 0-0 Napoli - Kevin De Bruyne back at the Etihad
20:09 , Luke BakerDe Bruyne welcomed back to the Etihad
Man City 0-0 Napoli, 4 mins
20:05 , Luke BakerGvardiol strides forward and slips Reijnders into the channel. Eventually the ball falls to Dias 35 yards out and he lashes a shot vaguely towards goal but it’s a long way wide.
Dias hasn’t scored since 2022 so that was always speculative at best...
Man City 0-0 Napoli, 3 mins
20:04 , Luke BakerNapoli launch a ball forward to try and get Hojlund running in behind but it’s dealt with by the City defence.
The hosts then happy to hold the ball in their own half before Rodri directs traffic and gets them moving forward. Doku fizzes a ball into the box towards Haaland but it’s cleared
KICK-OFF! Man City 0-0 Napoli
20:02 , Luke BakerAnd we’re off in Manchester. A big evening at the Etihad
'A familiar sound and a huge banner
20:01 , Richard Jolly at the EtihadOur Senior Football Correspondent Richard Jolly is inside the Etihad Stadium tonight:
“A familiar sound at the Etihad, a chant of "Oh, Kevin de Bruyne". There was a huge banner celebrating "King Kev" too.”
Man City v Napoli team news
19:58 , Luke BakerIt’s almost kick-off time but a reminder of tonight’s team news first.
Man City are unchanged from the weekend’s Manchester derby as Pep Guardiola opts for continuity, while City legend Kevin De Bruyne starts for Napoli as do ex-Man United pair Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund.
Man City XI: Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Rodri, Silva, Reijnders; Foden, Haaland, Doku
Napoli XI: Milinkovic-Savic; Di Lorenzo, Beukema, Buongiorno, Spinazzola; Lobotka; Politano, Anguissa, De Bruyne, McTominay; Hojlund
'De Bruyne can show Man City were wrong to let him go'
19:45 , Richard Jolly at the EtihadHere’s our Senior Football Correspondent Richard Jolly at the Etihad this evening:
“A swift return to Manchester for Kevin De Bruyne and an even swifter one for Rasmus Hojlund, still at Manchester United at the start of the month.
“Scott McTominay made the same journey from Old Trafford a year earlier to become a Ballon d'Or nominee, which scarcely reflects well on the club who let him go.
“Meanwhile, City opted not to renew the contract of their greatest player, De Bruyne. He will have a statue at their training ground.
“In the meantime, he has a chance to demonstrate they were wrong to let him go, while Gianluigi Donnarumma could disappoint his Napoli-supporting mother if he makes any saves.”
Kevin De Bruyne warms up at the Etihad
19:39 , Luke BakerDe Bruyne arrived a little earlier and has been going through his warm-up routine on the Etihad pitch.
It must have felt strange going into the away dressing room at the stadium rather than the home one
Kevin De Bruyne returns to the Etihad
17:05 , Luke BakerThe big story this evening is Kevin De Bruyne’s return to the Etihad Stadium to face Man City.
By all accounts he didn’t want to leave City but wasn’t offered a new contract and so departed at the end of his deal for Napoli.
Of course, the fixture gods immediately paired the Serie A champions with Man City in the Champions League and here we are. The Belgian did a pitch walk at the ground he called home for so many years before a press conference yesterday.
Man City vs Napoli
16:55 , Luke BakerWelcome to The Independent’s coverage of Man City vs Napoli in the Champions League tonight.
It’s the Kevin de Bruyne revenge game as the Belgian returns to the Etihad Stadium to face the club where he is a legendary figure. It should be tasty
