‘Beast’ Haaland equals Aguero’s Man City UCL 36-goal mark

Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City opened their Champions League campaign with a 2–0 victory over Porto, continuing his remarkable scoring record in Europe.

After being denied several times by Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa in the first half, Haaland broke the deadlock early after the interval, heading Enzo Fernandez’s cross into the bottom corner. He then sealed the victory in stoppage time, calmly finishing a pass from Rayan Ait-Nouri.

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The brace took Haaland’s Champions League tally to 59 goals in 59 appearances. His 36 goals for City in the competition also moved him level with Sergio Aguero as the club’s all-time leading Champions League scorer. He climbed to seventh on the competition’s overall scoring list and became the 22nd different opponent he has scored against in the tournament.

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Haaland also reached another major City milestone. His two goals took his overall club tally to 167 goals in 203 appearances, moving him past Tommy Johnson into third place among City’s all-time scorers. Only Sergio Agüero (260) and Eric Brook (177) have scored more.

New teammate Enzo Fernández praised the Norwegian after the match, describing him as an “animal” and a “beast.” Fernandez, making his Champions League debut for City, assisted Haaland’s opening goal and said he hoped to provide many more assists for the striker.

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"Erling Haaland is an animal, a beast," Fernandez told Amazon Prime. "Every time I'm on the pitch, I'm going to look for him and hopefully I can give him many more assists and he can score goals like that.

"It's not just about the player he is -- he's an amazing human being as well and he has really welcomed me in [to the club]."

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The victory maintained City’s perfect start under manager Enzo Maresca, following three consecutive Premier League wins. Haaland has also made an impressive start individually, scoring five goals in his first five competitive appearances of the season.

Since joining City in 2022, Haaland has established himself as one of the club’s most prolific scorers, including a record-breaking 52-goal debut season that helped City complete the Treble. His latest brace adds two more milestones to an already remarkable City career.