Manchester City opened their Champions League campaign with a comfortable 2–0 win over Napoli on Thursday night at the Etihad Stadium.
Goals from Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku sealed the result after Napoli were reduced to ten men early in the first half. Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s red card in the 21st minute — for hauling down Haaland as the striker raced through on goal — forced the visitors to sit deep for most of the match.
Despite dominating possession and registering 16 attempts in the first half, City couldn’t find the breakthrough before the break. Their persistence paid off in the second half when Phil Foden floated a perfectly weighted ball into the box for Haaland, who glanced a clever header past Milinković-Savić in the 56th minute — marking his 50th Champions League goal in just 49 appearances.
Doku doubled the lead ten minutes later, dancing past defender Sam Beukema and slipping a composed finish under the goalkeeper to put the game beyond doubt.
With the three points secured, Pep Guardiola’s side will shift focus to their upcoming Premier League clash against Arsenal on Sunday.
