-
Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City defeated Porto 2-0 in their Champions League opener.
-
Haaland struck shortly after half-time before sealing the victory with a stoppage-time finish.
-
Enzo Fernández provided the assist for City’s opener, while Rayan Aït-Nouri created the second.
-
The victory gave Enzo Maresca a winning start to his first Champions League campaign as Manchester City manager.
September 09, (THEWILL) — Manchester City began their 2026/27 Champions League campaign with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Porto at the Estádio do Dragão, with Erling Haaland once again proving decisive in front of goal.
After a frustrating first half in which Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa repeatedly kept City at bay, Haaland finally broke the deadlock shortly after the restart.
He then struck again in stoppage time to secure three points for Enzo Maresca’s side.
The victory extended City’s perfect start under Maresca, who has now overseen four consecutive competitive wins since taking charge.
It also provided an important European statement ahead of a demanding Champions League schedule.
Haaland Finally Breaks Porto’s Resistance
City controlled much of the first half but struggled to turn their possession into goals.
Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa was particularly impressive, making a series of important saves to keep the Portuguese champions level.
Haaland came close when a low cross found him with the goal seemingly at his mercy, but Costa reacted quickly to deny the Norwegian.
Despite City’s pressure, the first half ended goalless.
That changed almost immediately after the interval.
In the 46th minute, Rayan Cherki produced a clever piece of play before finding Enzo Fernández, whose cross was met by Haaland.
The striker rose above the Porto defence and powered his header beyond Costa to finally give City the lead.
Porto Push Back But City Hold Firm
The goal forced Porto to become more aggressive, and the hosts enjoyed their strongest spell of the match after falling behind.
City were briefly placed under pressure as Porto searched for an equaliser, but Maresca’s side remained disciplined and continued to threaten whenever space opened up.
Maresca responded with changes from the bench, introducing Elliot Anderson and Iliman Ndiaye before later bringing on Mateo Kovacic and Rayan Aït-Nouri.
The adjustments helped City regain control as Porto’s attacking momentum began to fade.
There was also tension away from the football, with a heated confrontation reportedly taking place in the tunnel at half-time following several physical exchanges during the opening period.
READ ALSO:
Aït-Nouri Helps Haaland Seal the Win
Porto continued to chase an equaliser deep into the second half, but their commitment to attack eventually created space for City to exploit.
In the first minute of stoppage time, Aït-Nouri burst forward and reached the byline before cutting the ball back into the area.
Haaland made no mistake.
The Norwegian calmly guided his finish into the far corner to make it 2-0 and effectively end Porto’s hopes of rescuing a point.
The brace also continued Haaland’s remarkable scoring form at the start of the season and once again demonstrated why Maresca is so determined to keep his main striker fit despite the demanding schedule.
Maresca Gets the European Start He Wanted
The performance was not City’s most fluent under Maresca, but the result was arguably more important than the style.
They travelled to one of Europe’s more difficult away grounds, survived Porto’s best spell, and ultimately won through the clinical finishing of their biggest attacking weapon.
The match also offered encouraging signs from new and emerging players. Ayyoub Bouaddi made his full debut and impressed in midfield, while Fernández continued to show the creativity that City hoped his arrival would bring.
For Porto, the defeat ended their perfect competitive start to the season and exposed their difficulty in converting possession into clear chances against a disciplined City defence.
Manchester City, meanwhile, leave Portugal with three valuable points and plenty of momentum as their Champions League campaign gets underway.
Olumide Atiba is a sports journalist with THEWILL, known for his keen news sense and compelling storytelling. He has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, well-structured reports that resonate with readers, with a strong focus on football coverage
