Manchester City down 10-man Napoli in Champions League: Key stats
What's the story
Manchester City started their UEFA Champions League 2025-26 campaign on a high note with a convincing 2-0 victory over Napoli at the Etihad Stadium. Matchweek 1 of the competition saw Erling Haaland score his 50th Champions League goal in just 49 matches, breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy's previous record of reaching the milestone in 62 appearances. Jeremy Doku also contributed to City's win with a well-placed finish. Here's more.
Game changer
Di Lorenzo's red card changes the game
The match took a major turn when Giovanni Di Lorenzo was shown a red card midway through the first half. The Napoli captain was sent off after a VAR review confirmed he had caught Haaland with his boot while trying to intercept the ball. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Napoli put up a strong defense in the first half, thanks to some brilliant saves from their goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
Goal scorers
Haaland and Doku seal the win for City
Despite having 16 shots in the first half, City couldn't break the deadlock until Phil Foden's pass found Haaland, who scored with a deft header. This was his 6th goal in five matches for Manchester City in the ongoing season. Doku then added a second goal for Pep Guardiola's side with a brilliant individual effort that left Napoli defenders stunned.
Do you know?
Foden shines for Man City
As per Opta, Foden created eight chances against Italian side Napoli, the most by a Manchester City player in the UEFA Champions League since Kevin De Bruyne against Real Madrid in August 2020 (9).
Haaland
50 UCL goals for Haaland
Haaland's journey to his 50th UCL goal has been nothing short of spectacular. He scored eight times in six games for RB Salzburg, including a hat-trick on his Champions League debut against Genk and a brace against Napoli. He then netted 15 times in 13 appearances for Borussia Dortmund, scoring twice in a match on six occasions. For Man City, he has scored 27 goals in 30 appearances.
Information
Haaland races to 130 goals for Man City
As mentioned, Haaland has 6 goals in 5 matches for Man City this season. 5 of his goals have come in the Premier League. Overall, Haaland owns 130 goals for Man City in 151 appearances.
Opta stats
Key records made in the contest
Since a defeat to Lyon on Matchday 1 of the 2018-19 season, Guardiola's Man City have won six of their last 7 opening games of the competition (D1). Napoli are yet to beat English opponents in away European matches (D3 L10). Man City have won each of their last three Champions League matches against Napoli. Guardiola now owns a 4-4 win-loss managerial record against current Napoli boss Antonio Conte.