Manchester City Beats Porto 2-0 in Champions League Opener as Haaland Scores Brace
Manchester City opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win over Porto as Erling Haaland scored a brace and 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi impressed. City now turn their focus to Sunday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
Manchester City kicked off their Champions League campaign on Tuesday with a 2-0 victory over Porto, but alongside Erling Haaland's brace, 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi drew considerable attention. Making his first start since arriving this summer from Lille for £86 million, the teenager delivered a performance that earned high praise from both the Norwegian striker and manager Enzo Maresca.
Praise from Haaland and Maresca
"I think he played a really, really good game," Haaland told Prime Video. "In the last few weeks in training, he has been amazing. I was just telling chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak how impressive he is in training and overall, so I think we have a diamond here."
However, Haaland could not resist a lighthearted critique: "To be honest, I think he should have passed to me in the second half. I was completely alone, so I was a bit mad. I'll tell him that now, but apart from that pass, he played a good game."
Man of the match Haaland, who tied Sergio Aguero's record with 36 Champions League goals for City, also addressed demands under the new manager: "We have to learn. Enzo needs to demand a lot from us, and we need to demand a lot from each other. At Manchester City, you have to win games and win trophies."
Manager Enzo Maresca was equally enthusiastic about Bouaddi's display: "Goodness me, he was really good. Against Coventry, he lost two balls and then, inside our box, he still stayed calm. That shows how good he is, because many players can panic after two mistakes like that. You don't expect an 18-year-old to control a game like that, and he was excellent."
Haaland's Record-Breaking Pace
Jamie Carragher was also full of praise, focusing on Haaland. The striker's brace brought him to 167 goals in 203 appearances for City and 59 goals in 59 Champions League matches, totaling 366 goals in 445 club and international appearances.
« I simply don't see a scenario where Haaland doesn't reach 1,000 goals or become the greatest goalscorer of all time. »
City, having won four of their first five matches under Maresca, will look to maintain momentum on Sunday when they visit Old Trafford for the first Manchester derby of the season.
