Haaland to the double as Manchester City beat Porto in Champions League
Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win at Porto, while teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi made his first start for the club. Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa kept City at bay in the first half with a string of saves, but Haaland broke the deadlock early after the interval and sealed the victory late on.
Why It Matters
The result underlines Haaland's continued goalscoring form and hands a positive start to Enzo Maresca's tenure as City manager following a summer of record spending. With City investing heavily in new recruits, early Champions League wins will be seen as vital for meeting expectations on the European stage.
Key Facts
- final score: Porto 0-2 Manchester City
- goalscorer: Erling Haaland (2)
- debut: Ayyoub Bouaddi first start for Manchester City
- Haaland club goals: 167 - City's third-highest goalscorer of all-time
- Haaland Champions League record: 59 goals in 59 games
Erling Haaland powered Manchester City to a 2-0 victory at Porto as the club kicked off their Champions League campaign. The Norwegian struck twice — the opener early in the second half and a late finish — while teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi made his first start since joining City from Lille.
Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa produced a string of outstanding saves in the first half to frustrate City, including a high stop to deny a Haaland header and a brilliant double save following a slick Bouaddi and Phil Foden move. City finally broke through just two minutes after the interval when Haaland's header from an Enzo Fernandez cross looped into the bottom corner with Costa wrong-footed.
Porto responded by pushing City back for long spells of the second half and created a number of nervy moments, one of which saw goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma spared by an offside flag after a collision with Pepe. Donnarumma also survived when a charged-down clearance flew narrowly wide. Despite the home side's second-half pressure, they could not find a way past City.
Haaland wrapped up the win deep into stoppage time, tapping in from Rayan Ait-Nouri's cross to record his 59th Champions League goal in as many appearances and move to 167 goals for City, making him the club's third-highest scorer ever. The result offers a promising opening to Enzo Maresca's spell in charge after he replaced Pep Guardiola, coming amid a summer in which City spent a record 460 million pounds on new signings and added high-value midfielders including Enzo Fernandez and Elliott Anderson. Bouaddi's debut, following his 100 million-euro move from Lille, and a bright first-half showing from the new arrivals provided encouraging signs for the visitors despite Costa's goalkeeping heroics.
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Original source: Al Jazeera