Champions League: Haaland shines as Man City beat Napoli 2-0 at Etihad

Manchester City produced a dominant performance to secure a 2-0 win over 10-man Napoli in their Champions League opener at the Etihad Stadium.

The turning point came midway through the first half when Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo was shown a straight red card for hauling down Erling Haaland as the last man.

The dismissal forced Antonio Conte to sacrifice returning hero Kevin De Bruyne, whose much-anticipated comeback to the Etihad ended after just 26 minutes.

Despite wave after wave of first-half pressure, City were repeatedly denied by Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who produced a string of outstanding saves to keep the score level.

The breakthrough finally arrived 11 minutes after the restart when Haaland rose to head in Phil Foden’s lofted pass — his 49th Champions League appearance bringing up yet another milestone. Jeremy Doku then sealed the victory with a fine finish to cap off City’s dominance.

For Napoli, it was a night to forget as former Manchester United players Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund endured a frustrating return to Manchester, while City took all three points to begin their European campaign in commanding fashion.