Erling Haaland makes Champions League history as Man City edge past Napoli

Haaland’s record-breaking moment came early in the second half, a trademark header as he rose to meet Phil Foden’s lobbed pass and looped the ball beyond Vanja Milinkovic-Savic. 

He achieved the milestone in 13 games fewer than the previous record-holder, Ruud van Nistelrooy. For comparison, Lionel Messi needed 66 matches, Robert Lewandowski 77 and Cristiano Ronaldo 91. Haaland’s ratio of better than a goal a game at such an elite level remains unmatched.

Napoli’s challenge was made even tougher midway through the first half when Giovanni Di Lorenzo was shown a straight red card for a foul on Haaland. 

Reduced to 10 men, the Italian champions defended with resilience but could not prevent the breakthrough. Jeremy Doku added a second to wrap up City’s opening win of their 2025-26 campaign in Europe.

Much of the pre-match attention centered on the return of Kevin De Bruyne, who left City in the summer after a decade-long, trophy-laden spell to join Napoli. 

The Belgian midfielder’s homecoming was cut short, however, as he was sacrificed in the 26th minute following Di Lorenzo’s dismissal, replaced by defender Mathias Olivera.

Elsewhere, Kylian Mbappe climbed further up the Champions League all-time scoring charts. His penalty brace in Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Marseille lifted him to 57 goals, drawing level with Thomas Muller in joint-sixth place. 

Remarkably, the French forward has reached that tally in just 88 appearances, showcasing his own historic trajectory.

Ronaldo (140) and Messi (129) remain clear at the top of the all-time list, but Haaland and Mbappe are rapidly emerging as the next great rivals of European football. Both are still in their mid-twenties and are rewriting records at staggering speed.

For City, though, the night belonged to Haaland. His ruthless finishing delivered another landmark in a career already defined by record-breaking feats. With the Norwegian destined for more goals, Pep Guardiola’s side look ominously equipped for another deep run in Europe.