Belgian sacrificed by Antonio Conte after Di Lorenzo Giovanni dismissal
Kevin De Bruyne’s long-awaited return to the Etihad lasted less than half an hour, cut short when Napoli were forced into a reshuffle after captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo was sent off.
Manchester City went on to win 2-0, with Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku scoring to ensure a positive start to the Champions League campaign for the home side. Haaland marked the occasion by becoming the fastest player in history to reach 50 Champions League goals.
De Bruyne was back in Manchester for the first time since leaving four months age. He was welcomed warmly by supporters before kick-off, and went off to an ovation when he was sacrificed by Antonio Conte after just 26 minutes.
The sending off came after Di Lorenzo clipped Haaland on the edge of the box as the forward ran onto a through ball from Phil Foden. The referee initially played on but changed his decision after a VAR review, leaving Napoli to face the champions with 10 men for nearly 70 minutes.
City took control from that point. Haaland rose to head in Phil Foden’s lofted pass shortly after half-time, the goal putting him into the record books with 50 in just 49 Champions League appearances. Jeremy Doku added a second within minutes to seal the win.
