Haaland Becomes Fastest Player to Reach 50 Goals in the UCL as City Edge Napoli
Erling Haaland has written his name deep into Champions League history on Thursday night, becoming the fastest player to score 50 goals in the competition as Manchester City battled past 10-man Napoli with a 2-0 win at the Etihad Stadium.
The Norwegian striker needed just 49 games to reach the milestone, nodding home from Phil Foden’s clever pass in the 56th minute to finally break the resistance of goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who had kept City at bay with a string of remarkable first-half saves.
Kevin De Bruyne’s much-anticipated return to the Etihad added extra spice to the night. The Belgian, who left City in the summer after a decade of success, was given a warm ovation by the home crowd. But his reunion was short-lived — Napoli boss Antonio Conte withdrew him in the first half following captain Giovanni di Lorenzo’s red card for hauling down Haaland as the last man.
Despite their numerical advantage, Pep Guardiola’s men found Milinkovic-Savic in inspired form. The Serbian stopper denied efforts from Tijjani Reijnders, Phil Foden, Rodri, and Ruben Dias, while also producing a stunning reflex save on the goal line to keep out another Reijnders strike that deflected off Matteo Politano.
City finally made the breakthrough in the second half, Haaland doing what he does best with a trademark header to claim his record-breaking 50th Champions League goal. Jeremy Doku later added a well-taken second, ensuring three points for the defending champions.
For Napoli, it was a night of frustration, compounded by disappointing returns to Manchester for former United duo Scott McTominay and Rasmus Højlund, who endured a fruitless evening against their old rivals.
Haaland’s milestone, however, stole the headlines, another record shattered by a striker who seems intent on rewriting Champions League history.