It was another special outing for Erling Haaland after he scored in Manchester City's 2-0 victory over Napoli in the Champions League on Thursday night (September 18).
The Norwegian striker broke the deadlock for Pep Guardiola's side just before the hour mark, as he expertly guided an elevated pass from Phil Foden with his head to lift the ball into the back of the net.
The goal, which was Haaland's sixth in just five appearances this season, eased the tension inside the Etihad Stadium, as the home side initially were frustratingly shut out by their 10-man opponents until that point.
Jeremy Doku doubled City's lead less than 10 minutes later thanks to a delightful solo effort that saw him dance through the Napoli defence before slotting the ball into the far corner of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic's goal.
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City closed the game out and ensured they began their 2025/26 Champions League campaign with a win.
Historic milestone night for Haaland
Haaland's headed opener against the Serie A holders was a special one for him, as it was his 50th goal in the Champions League.
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Remarkably it has taken the Norwegian just 49 games to achieve the feat, which breaks the previous record set by former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Van Nistelrooy reached a half-century of goals in Europe's premier competition in 62 matches, meaning Haaland has absolutely smashed the record.
50 - Manchester City's Erling Haaland has scored his 50th goal on his 49th appearance in the UEFA Champions League, reaching half a century of goals in at least 13 appearances fewer than any other player (Ruud van Nistelrooy closest - 62 apps). Unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/zYrZGvGnkc
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 18, 2025
Out of Haaland's 50 goals, 27 have come in a City shirt, with 15 coming during his time at Borussia Dortmund and eight coming during his days with RB Salzburg.
The City striker still has some way to go to match Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 140 goals in the Champions League.
However, with Haaland being just 25, it is likely he continues to score goals at an impressive rate in club football's most prestigious competition and gets closer to that record.
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