Manchester United and Bayern Munich both secured comfortable victories in their first Champions League matches on Thursday, but their paths to victory were quite different.
Returning to the tournament for the first time since the 2023-24 season, Manchester United scored three out of their four goals in the first half against Sabah FK. Matheus Cunha marked his Champions League debut with a goal, Bruno Fernandes added his fourth of the season, and Benjamin Šeško netted the third just before halftime in his first start.
Lisandro Martínez capped off the scoring in the 68th minute by capitalizing on a scrappy situation in the Sabah FK penalty area.
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Bayern Munich, who reached the semifinals in the previous season, struggled for the first 45 minutes against Bodø/Glimt, finding themselves unable to score. However, just two minutes into the second half, Jamal Musiala found the net, marking the club’s 900th goal in European competitions and giving Bayern a 1-0 lead.
Harry Kane extended the advantage in the 61st minute, continuing his scoring streak to seven consecutive Champions League matches. Alphonso Davies volleyed in a loose ball from a corner in the 77th minute, solidifying their triumph for the Bundesliga side.
Michael Olise contributed two goals within nine minutes to help Bayern secure a 5-0 win.
In an exciting match, debutants Como celebrated their first-ever Champions League game with a 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig. I Lariani took a commanding 2-0 lead by the 38-minute mark with goals from Martin Baturina and Anastasios Douvikas, with the latter receiving a beautiful through ball from Baturina.
An entertaining encounter in Prague saw Lens stun Slavia Prague with a 3-2 win, scoring two late goals. After going down to ten men early in the second half, Slavia took a 2-1 lead but were undone in stoppage time by Florian Thauvin and Ruben Aguilar.
Earlier in the day, USMNT defender Sergiño Dest scored in the 48th minute to help PSV draw 1-1 with Shakhtar Donetsk, marking his third goal this season. Fenerbahçe and Roma also settled for a 1-1 draw, with goals exchanged between Bryan Cristante and Archie Brown.
After the Fenerbahçe match, manager İsmail Kartal unexpectedly announced his resignation in a press conference, stating, “I made this decision to clear the way for my club. I will never come back. Good evening, everyone.”
Thursday’s Champions League results
FT: Fenerbahçe 1-1 Roma
FT: PSV 1-1 Shakhtar Donetsk
FT: Bayern Munich 5-0 Bodø/Glimt
FT: Como 4-1 RB Leipzig
FT: Manchester United 4-0 Sabah FK
FT: Slavia Prague 2-3 Lens
Here’s how all of the action of Thursday’s Matchday 1 played out live:
2026-27 Champions League schedule
Matchday 1: Sept. 8-10
Matchday 2: Oct. 13-14
Matchday 3: Oct. 20-21
Matchday 4: Nov. 3-4
Matchday 5: Nov. 24-25
Matchday 6: Dec. 8-9
Matchday 7: Jan. 19-20
Matchday 8: Jan. 27
Knockout phase playoffs: Feb. 16-17 and 23-24
Round of 16: March 9-10 and 16-17
Quarterfinals: April 6-7 and 13-14
Semifinals: April 27-28 and May 4-5
Final: June 5 (Madrid)
In a season where the Champions League is ramping up, these results signify the growing strength of clubs like Manchester United and Bayern Munich. For fans, this not only heightens the excitement for future matches but also sets the stage for intense rivalries and standout individual performances in the tournament.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
