Erling Haaland becomes fastest player to reach 50 Champions League goals
Erling Haaland scored his 50th Champions League goal as Manchester City eased past Napoli 2-0 in their opening group stage match of the tournament, at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, on Thursday.
City had lost only one of their previous nine UEFA club competition matches at home against Italian teams and looked good to extend that record once Napoli were reduced to 10 men in the 21st minute, when captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo was red carded for a harsh tackle on Haaland, and the prolific striker put them ahead in the 56th minute.
The Norwegian headed home Phil Foden's lofted offering in the 56th minute to take his tally to 50 in 49 Champions League appearances.
He is the tenth player to reach the landmark and fastest to do so, beating the 62-match record of Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Jeremy Doku doubled City's lead in the 65th, getting the better of two Napoli defenders and placing the ball through the feet of goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic into the far corner of the net.
In the other matches on the night, Eintracht Frankfurt whipped Galatasaray 5-1, Barcelona beat Newcastle 2-1, Sporting CP trounced Kairat Almaty 4-1, Club Brugge beat Monaco 4-1 and Copenhagen drew 2-2 with Leverkusen.
Marcus Rashford was also in the limelight, scoring twice in Barcelona's win over Newcastle at St. James' Park.
The England striker, on loan signing from Manchester United, made the best of Lamine Yamal's absence through injury to become the first English player to score for Barcelona in the Champions League.
After Newcastle missed two excellent chances to score in the first session, Rashford headed Barcelona's first goal into the bottom-left corner in the 58th minute following Jules Kounde's cross from the right, and drove home a thunderous volley nine minutes later, which crashed in off the crossbar, for the second.
Anthony Gordon reduced the margin for Newcastle in the 90th minute.
Leverkusen rallied splendidly to share the spoils in a dramatic encounter in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Copenhagen went in front in the ninth minute via Jordan Larsson's cushioned half-volley and led until late in the contest till Alejandro Grimaldo's exquisite free-kick in the 82nd minute levelled the score eight minutes from time.
Substitute Robert Silva's deft header four minutes from time appeared to have given the Danish Superliga outfit maximum points, but Pantelis Hatzidiakos's own goal, deflecting a cross into his own net in added time, gave Leverkusen a point from the match.
Captain Hans Vanaken starred as Club Brugge cruised to victory over Monaco.
After home goalkeeper Simon Mignolet saved Maghnes Akliouche's penalty, Vanaken's pass gave Nicolo Tresoldi the chance to slot in a 32nd-minute opener.
Raphael Onyedika pounced to double the advantage seven minutes later, and Vanaken lashed in three minutes before the break for his 11th goal in the competition proper.
Champions League debutant Mamadou Diakhon scored Club Brugge's fourth with a composed 75th-minute finish before Monaco substitute Ansu Fati fired an added-time consolation for Monaco.
Jonathan Burkardt scored twice as Frankfurt recovered from a slow start to ease past Galatasaray.
Yunus Akgün fired the visitors ahead in the eighth minute, but a Davinson Sánchez own goal drew the hosts level.
Goals from Can Uzun and Burkardt then turned the contest around in first-half stoppage time. The latter headed in his second goal from Nathaniel Brown’s cross after the break, while Ansgar Knauff rounded Galatasaray goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır to complete a fine victory.
Sporting CP got their Champions League campaign off to a fine start with a convincing victory in Lisbon.
A Francisco Trincão double either side of half-time set the Portuguese side on their way before quickfire strikes from Alisson Santos and Geovany Quenda sealed the win.
Luis Suárez hit the post and bar after Morten Hjulmand's first-half penalty was saved by 18-year-old debutant Sherhan Kalmurza.
Edmilson did get a late consolation for Kairat but Sporting proved too strong.
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