Haaland Double Fires Manchester City to Champions League Win at Porto
Manchester City began their Champions League league-phase campaign with a 2-0 win away to Porto, with Erling Haaland scoring both goals after the interval at the Estadio do Dragao.
The result made it four successive victories in all competitions for Enzo Maresca’s side, who controlled much of a difficult European away fixture and created enough openings to have won by a wider margin.
Bouaddi impresses on full debut
Ayyoub Bouaddi was among the standout performers in Portugal. The 18-year-old started in midfield alongside Enzo Fernandez and showed notable composure in his first senior start, completing 54 of 55 attempted passes and making seven recoveries.
Bouaddi remained calm under Porto pressure before being replaced by Mateo Kovacic in the 76th minute. His display provided another strong indication that he can contribute during a demanding run of autumn matches.
Maresca praised the teenager’s maturity in a match of that level, noting that experienced players such as Haaland, Ruben Dias and Kovacic are expected to handle major occasions. He said Bouaddi “was never in panic” and described the midfielder’s performance as “unbelievable”.
Haaland also highlighted Bouaddi’s recent work in training, saying he had told the club chairman that the youngster had been “amazing” in recent weeks and that City had “a gem”. The striker did, however, jokingly point to one second-half moment when he felt Bouaddi could have played him through while he was unmarked.
Maresca pleased with control
The City manager felt his team deserved the points despite missing opportunities before the break. Maresca said his side had generated sufficient chances to settle the contest and had conceded very little, while accepting that some Porto opportunities were inevitable at the Dragao.
He also credited the depth of his squad, arguing that the quality available allows him to distribute minutes across the group. Maresca said the players selected for the Porto match had performed very well.
City now turn quickly to the Premier League, where local rivals Manchester United provide the next test this weekend. Bouaddi’s assured introduction in Porto has strengthened his case for further involvement as the fixtures begin to accumulate.
