Haaland brace fires Man City to 2-0 Champions League win over Porto
Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City began their 2026/27 UEFA Champions League campaign with a 2-0 victory over FC Porto at Porto's Dragao stadium on September 8, 2026. Haaland's first goal came early in the second half, a downward header from Enzo Fernandez's cross that found the bottom corner despite Diogo Costa's earlier saves. His second came in stoppage time, slotting home Rayan Ait-Nouri's cross to take his tally for City to 167 goals, making him the club's third-highest scorer of all time.
The win shows the immediate impact of City's record £460 million (about $620 million) summer spending under new head coach Enzo Maresca. Maresca handed debut start to Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who joined for £85.6 million from Lille and impressed alongside Fernandez in a bright first half. Porto's goalkeeper Costa made several fine stops but could not prevent Haaland's breakthrough, and the hosts lacked the quality to punish City's occasional sloppy errors.
For Nigerian fans who follow the Premier League and Champions League, Haaland's continued goal-scoring form and City's strong start signal another title challenge. With City also holding a 1-0 weekend win over newly-promoted Coventry, their early season momentum looks promising.
Will you tune in to City's next Champions League clash to see if Haaland can keep scoring, or will you watch how the £460 million investment translates into silverware this season?