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This video can not be played Record-breaking Haaland helps City beat 10-man Napoli At a glance Haaland quickest to reach 50 Champions League goals De Bruyne substituted after 26 minutes on return to Etihad Stadium PLAYER RATER Erling Haaland broke another record by becoming the quickest player to score 50 Champions League goals as Manchester City were made to work hard in their opening game victory over Napoli. Haaland took only 49 games to reach the milestone, lofting home a header in the second half to set City on their way to three points, as Kevin de Bruyne's much-anticipated return to Etihad Stadium lasted a disappointing 26 minutes. De Bruyne left City in the summer after a distinguished decade at the club and was given a warm welcome back by home supporters, but the joy of returning to a place he calls "home" was short lived. The Belgium international was sacrificed in the first half by boss Antonio Conte following captain Giovanni di Lorenzo's dismissal for bringing down Haaland as last man. City took control of the game as expected but Pep Guardiola will have been left wondering how his side did not go in ahead at half-time after peppering the Napoli goal but finding keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in inspired form. The Serbian made a string of superb saves, keeping out Tijjani Reijnders' drive, smothering Phil Foden's low shot, and pushing away Rodri's well-struck volley. Milinkovic-Savic also clawed away headers from Nico O'Reilly and Ruben Dias and somehow grabbed Reijnders' shot on the goalline after it took a deflection off Matteo Politano - all in the first 45 minutes. But 11 minutes into the second period City made the expected breakthrough as Haaland latched on to Foden's dinked pass and nodded in to finally breach Milinkovic-Savic's goal. Jeremy Doku showed quick feet to add a second and seal victory, as returns to Manchester for former United players Scott Mc Tominay and Rasmus Hojlund ended in dismay. Haaland feats 'unheard of' - how striker broke another record Have your say on Man City’s performance Erling Haaland needed only 49 games to score 50 goals in the Champions League Guardiola's 17th campaign as manager in this competition began with a win as City aim to make up for last season's disappointment when they failed to make the top-eight and were knocked out at the play-off stage. City's recent form in this tournament has been poor, losing five of their past seven games before Napoli. And they will have felt at times in this contest that they were going to be left frustrated as they saw ex-Manchester United academy man Milinkovic-Savic repel everything they threw at him. But with Haaland in their side, City have a player who knows where the back of the net is and seems intent on proving a point, taking his tally to six goals in five club games so far this term. His headed effort from Foden's glorious pass just before the hour mark drew relief all around the stadium as he comfortably beat Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of reaching 50 goals in 62 matches. De Bruyne will have been plotting City's downfall on his return to the club for the first time, but prospects of haunting his old side turned into a nightmare. Right-back Di Lorenzo was given a straight red card for tripping Haaland on the edge of the area - though the referee needed to watch a replay of the incident on the pitchside monitor before making his decision. When the fourth official's board went up, De Bruyne also did a double-take when he saw his number 11 flash up, before trudging off head bowed with chants of "ohh Kevin de Bruyne" from the home faithful ringing in his ears. Having escaped the chaos of United, it was a forgettable return to the city for Hojlund and Mc Tominay too, with both players peripheral figures in the game once the Serie A champions saw their ranks reduced. Napoli did have a decent opportunity when the score was goalless, but centre-back Sam Beukema's towering header drew a sharp save low down from Gianluigi Donnarumma. Napoli suffered their first blemish of the campaign and continued their wretched record away to English sides in European competitions with no victories in 13 attempts. Manchester City: After victories over United and Napoli, a huge seven days comes to a head with a trip to Arsenal on Sunday (kick-off 16: 30 BST). Napoli: Conte's side host Pisa in Serie A on Monday (19: 45). After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser Last Updated 18th September 2025 at 23: 32 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: Pep Guardiola Formation: 4 - 1 - 4 - 1 Manager: Antonio Conte Formation: 4 - 1 - 4 - 1 Manager: Pep Guardiola Formation: 4 - 1 - 4 - 1 Manager: Antonio Conte Formation: 4 - 1 - 4 - 1 UEFA Champions League All competitions All competitions All competitions All four of the previous meetings between Manchester City and Napoli in Europe have been in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. The Citizens went winless in 2011-12 (D1 L1), before winning home and away against them in 2017-18. Napoli have never won away to an English side in any European competition (P12 W0 D3 L9), losing at least once against six of the seven different teams they have faced (Arsenal, Burnley, Chelsea, Leeds United, Liverpool and Manchester City), with Leicester being the only exception (2-2 in UEFA Europa League in 2021-22). Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has faced Napoli counterpart Antonio Conte on seven occasions across all competitions, while he has lost (4) more than he has won (3). Of managers with at least two wins over Guardiola, Conte is one of only three individuals who has won more often than he has lost, along with Jürgen Klopp (11 wins, 10 defeats) and Luis Enrique (three wins, two defeats). This will be the 17th UEFA Champions League campaign for Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola as a manager, taking him level with José Mourinho. Only three managers have been involved in more than 17 editions of the competition (since the 1992-93 rebrand): Carlo Ancelotti (22), Arsène Wenger (20) and Alex Ferguson (18). Napoli will be the fifth different team Antonio Conte has managed in the UEFA Champions Legue (also Juventus, Chelsea, Internazionale and Tottenham), with Carlo Ancelotti (8) and Claudia Ranieri (6) the only Italians to take charge of as many clubs in the competition (since 1992/93). Manchester City lost five of their final seven games in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League campaign (W1 D1), as many defeats as they had suffered in their previous 61 games in the competition combined (W43 D13 L5). Napoli and former Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne could face the Citizens for the first time since leaving the club; in the UEFA Champions League he recorded 25 assists for City, 10 more than any other player for the club in the competition. Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is one goal away from reaching 50 in the UEFA Champions League (48 appearances), and looks all but assured to set a new record for fewest appearances to 50 UCL goals. The current best is 62 games, achieved by Ruud van Nistelrooij in 2007. In the league phase of the UEFA Champions League last season, only two players - Vinícius Júnior (8. 3) and Bradley Barcola (7. 5) – averaged more carries ending in the penalty area per 90 than Napoli’s Noa Lang (7 – min. 300 minutes played). Across all the major European competitions in 2024-25 (UEFA Champions, Europa & Conference League), Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki ranked first for chances created (46) and expected assists (5. 85), while he was joint-first for total assists (8), along with Raphinha and Svit Seslar. VAR Decision: Card upgraded Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli). Erling Haaland (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli). Offside, Napoli. Rasmus Højlund is caught offside. Attempt saved. Sam Beukema (Napoli) header from very close range is saved in the bottom left corner by Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City). Assisted by Matteo Politano with a cross. Corner, Napoli. Conceded by Nico O'Reilly. Attempt missed. Erling Haaland (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Phil Foden with a cross following a corner. Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Matteo Politano. Jérémy Doku (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Matteo Politano (Napoli). Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match because of an injury Rasmus Højlund (Napoli). Attempt blocked. Jérémy Doku (Manchester City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Phil Foden with a cross. Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Vanja Milinkovic-Savic. Attempt saved. Tijjani Reijnders (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal by Vanja Milinkovic-Savic (Napoli). Assisted by Jérémy Doku. Foul by Jérémy Doku (Manchester City). Matteo Politano (Napoli) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt missed. Rúben Dias (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Jérémy Doku. First Half begins. Lineups are announced and players are warming up. Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.