Munich Begin Champions League Campaigns with Big Wins
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
Manchester: Manchester United marked their return to the Champions League with a convincing 4-0 victory over Sabah, while Bayern Munich also started their campaign strongly with a 5-0 win against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday.
At the same time, Italian club Como enjoyed an impressive European debut by defeating RB Leipzig 4-1 in their opening Champions League match.
Manchester United Cruise Past Sabah
Manchester United produced a dominant performance at Old Trafford, with Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko and Lisandro Martinez all getting on the scoresheet.
Cunha opened the scoring in the 27th minute after connecting with a cross from Patrick Dorgu.
Sabah had an opportunity to respond before halftime when Joy-Lance Mickels found space at the back post, but his close-range header went wide.
United then took control of the match before the interval. Bruno Fernandes converted a chance created by Youri Tielemans before Benjamin Sesko doubled the advantage after receiving a pass from Bryan Mbeumo.
Lisandro Martinez added another goal in the second half as United comfortably secured all three points.
Manager Michael Carrick was able to introduce youngsters Harry Amass and Shea Lacey late in the game, giving them their first Champions League appearances.
Sesko said the result provided an important confidence boost for the team ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby.
Bayern Munich Continue Strong European Form
Bayern Munich also enjoyed a productive evening, defeating Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt 5-0.
Jamal Musiala opened the scoring shortly after halftime before Harry Kane extended Bayern’s lead with a header from a Michael Olise free-kick.
Kane’s goal extended his scoring run to eight consecutive Champions League matches.
Alphonso Davies then added another goal before Olise produced two late strikes to complete Bayern’s comfortable victory.
The match also marked an important moment for Musiala, who scored for the first time since returning to action after his pre-season health setback.
Como Make Impressive Champions League Debut
Como enjoyed a memorable first appearance in Europe’s premier club competition by defeating RB Leipzig 4-1.
Martin Baturina, Tasos Douvikas and Assane Diao helped Como establish a strong advantage before Leipzig responded through Andrija Maksimovic.
Maximo Perrone then scored late in the game to seal a convincing victory for the Italian side.
The result gave Como an excellent start to their Champions League campaign under coach Cesc Fabregas.
Lens Complete Late Comeback
RC Lens also secured a dramatic victory, coming from behind twice to defeat Slavia Prague 3-2.
Danijel Sturm scored twice for Slavia, but Lens refused to give up. Late goals from Florian Thauvin and Ruben Aguilar turned the match around and secured the points for the French club.
Slavia were also reduced to 10 men during the match.
Fenerbahce and Roma Play Out Draw
Elsewhere, Fenerbahce and AS Roma shared the points after a 1-1 draw in Istanbul.
Fenerbahce coach Ismail Kartal announced his resignation after the match, although club president Aziz Yildirim said he had rejected the decision.
Another 1-1 draw was recorded between PSV Eindhoven and Shakhtar Donetsk.
The opening round produced several notable results, with Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Como among the teams making particularly strong starts to their Champions League campaigns.
