Erling Haaland's Brace Leads Manchester City to 2-0 Victory Over Porto in Champions League Opener

Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City began their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 victory at Porto. The Norwegian striker was denied by a hat-trick of fine saves by Diogo Costa before half-time, but he broke through early in the second half with a downward header that found the bottom corner.

Porto pushed the English giants back for the rest of the second half but lacked the quality to punish Enzo Maresca’s men despite a series of sloppy errors from the visitors. Haaland showed the difference in class between the sides when he clinically slotted into the bottom corner in stoppage time to become City’s third-highest goalscorer of all-time on 167 goals.

“We have all the pressure; we have to deliver on the biggest stage, and that’s what we did today,” Haaland told Amazon Prime. “These are the games you have to win, and we’ve got a great start to the season.”

Backed by a record-breaking transfer window, Maresca has made a positive start to the daunting task of succeeding Pep Guardiola in the City hot-seat. Haaland remains the main man for City, netting five times in his first four games of the new campaign.

Maresca handed Ayyoub Bouaddi his first start following his high-profile move from Lille, with the teenage Moroccan featuring alongside other key summer arrivals. Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez impressed in a bright first-half display from City that only lacked a goal thanks to a masterclass by Costa in the Porto goal.

Porto’s last line of defence was finally breached just two minutes into the second half when Haaland’s header from Fernandez’s cross trickled into the bottom corner with Costa wrong-footed. Yet the goal provoked a transformation in Porto’s attacking intent, while City were guilty of easing off. Gianluigi Donnarumma was saved by the offside flag after he raced off his line to wipe out Pepe, and an attempted clearance by the Italian was charged down by William Gomes before bouncing agonisingly wide.

City eventually secured the result when Haaland slotted in Rayan Ait-Nouri’s cross for his 59th Champions League goal in 59 games in the competition, sealing all three points to kick off their European journey.