Man City triumphs over Napoli with a score of 10-0, setting Haaland's record to 50 Champions League goals
In a thrilling encounter at the Etihad Stadium, Erling Haaland continued his impressive Champions League form, scoring a crucial goal to help Manchester City secure a comfortable victory against Napoli.
Currently sitting in 12th place in the all-time Champions League scoring charts, Haaland is only a third of the way to Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 141 goals. However, City manager Pep Guardiola has no doubt about Haaland's ability to break the record, comparing him to Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in terms of goal-scoring prowess.
Haaland's 12th goal of the season came courtesy of a brilliant assist from Phil Foden, with the Norwegian striker heading the ball over Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic after a flick from Foden. The goal was Haaland's 50th in just 49 appearances in the Champions League, a remarkable feat.
The game was not without its drama, with Napoli goalkeeper Milinkovic-Savic making several excellent saves to deny Rodri, Nico O'Riley, Josko Gvardiol, and others. One of the highlights was a desperate lunge by Napoli's Di Lorenzo that resulted in a foul on Haaland on the 21st minute.
City could afford to rest Haaland and Rodri during the closing stages of the game, which resembled a training exercise for the home team. Guardiola's team stroked the ball around at will, with Mathiás Olivera replacing De Bruyne in the game.
The night took a turn for the worse for City when De Bruyne was sent off early, with Antonio Conte making a substitution to strengthen the defense. Conte conceded that Napoli were happy just to limit the damage in what is likely to be their toughest trip of the league phase. Conte stated that they didn't want to come out of the game humiliated, and they managed to avoid a heavy defeat, potentially preventing a scoreline of 5-0 or 6-0.
De Bruyne returned to the Etihad Stadium as a hero, having contributed nearly 300 goals or assists in 422 matches during his time at the club. The Belgian midfielder's early departure from the game was a blow to City, but they managed to hold on for the victory.
In a controversial moment, Felix Zwayer, the referee, initially thought Di Lorenzo had touched the ball but was instructed by VAR to review and correct his error. Matteo Politano also blocked Tijjani Reijnders' goalbound effort in first-half stoppage time.
The final blow was delivered by Rai Vitoria's Doku, who scored the knockout blow with a brilliant individual run and a cool finish under the onrushing Milinkovic-Savic. The victory puts City in a commanding position in their Champions League group, setting them up for a potential run to the final.
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