Manchester City cruised past Napoli on Thursday and got their first win in the new Champions League season. This tie was highly anticipated, seeing as it would be Kevin De Bruyne’s return to the Etihad, but this time in another team’s colours. After having said goodbye to Manchester at the end of last season, Kevin De Bruyne found himself back on the same pitch he had called home for the past ten years.
Even though there had been a lot of hype around the game, it was all short-lived, as Giovanni Di Lorenzo took down Haaland on the edge of the box and was red carded by the official. Napoli found themselves heavily compromised, being down to ten men after just 21 minutes into the game.
Napoli now had to sacrifice one of their attacking players to keep their defence together. As fate would have it, Kevin De Bruyne was the chosen one and came off not having been able to revindicate himself as the great midfielder he still is. Manchester City fans gave him a standing ovation on the way out, knowing this might have been the last time they ever saw him play.
From this point on, it was nothing but smooth sailing for City, as Haaland and Doku scored the goals, and Phil Foden showcased his technical prowess in the midfield, assisting the first goal and being awarded the player of the match award.
Manchester City are looking to keep up their great form, as they face Arsenal this afternoon, who were also victorious on their Champions League debut.
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