Manchester City began their Champions League campaign with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Porto, with Erling Haaland scoring both goals in Portugal. The win, secured at the Estadio do Dragao, marked City's fourth successive victory under new manager Enzo Maresca and took Haaland's season tally to five goals.
Haaland breaks the deadlock after Costa heroics
City struggled to break down Porto in the first half, largely due to the performance of goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who made several impressive saves, including two from Haaland. However, shortly after the interval, Haaland headed in a cross from Enzo Fernandez, with the ball hitting the post before crossing the line.
The goal was Haaland's 58th in the Champions League, achieved in just 59 appearances, moving him ahead of Bayern Munich legend Thomas Muller in the competition's scoring charts.
Maresca's men hold on under pressure
After taking the lead, City became vulnerable, and Maresca made a double substitution after a poor passage of play, bringing on Iliman Ndiaye and Elliot Anderson for Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was also fortunate to avoid conceding, flattening Pepe in the 49th minute and later misjudging a back-pass that led to a blocked clearance whizzing past his own post.
Porto pushed for an equaliser but were caught offside on numerous occasions. Haaland sealed the win with a cool finish inside the penalty area, allowing Maresca to breathe a sigh of relief ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
