Manchester United Mark Champions League Return with 4-0 Win as Como Shine on Debut

Manchester United opened their Champions League campaign in emphatic fashion on Thursday, sweeping aside Azerbaijan’s Sabah 4-0 at Old Trafford in the club’s first match in Europe’s top competition since its restructuring.

Matheus Cunha broke the deadlock in the 27th minute, heading in from Patrick Dorgu’s cross for his first goal of the season. Sabah nearly answered immediately, but Joy-Lance Mickels headed wide from close range at the back post. The visitors faded before the interval, with captain Bruno Fernandes finishing off a setup from Youri Tielemans and Benjamin Sesko rounding goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov after latching onto Bryan Mbeumo’s through ball.

Lisandro Martinez added a fourth midway through the second half after substitute Joshua Zirkzee’s backheel caused chaos in the box. Manager Michael Carrick was then able to hand Champions League debuts to academy products Harry Amass and Shea Lacey, with an eye on Sunday’s Manchester derby.

In Italy, Cesc Fabregas’s Como celebrated their first-ever Champions League match with a 4-1 win over RB Leipzig. Martin Baturina, Tasos Douvikas and Assane Diao put the newcomers firmly in control before Andrija Maksimovic pulled one back for Leipzig, only for Maximo Perrone to restore the three-goal margin late on.

Bayern Munich were made to work harder before running out 5-0 winners over Bodo/Glimt. Jamal Musiala broke the resistance shortly after halftime, and Harry Kane — both he and Michael Olise nominated for the Ballon d’Or this week — powered home a header from Olise’s free-kick. Alphonso Davies added a third from the edge of the box, and Olise then scored twice, either side of Odin Bjortuft’s red card for the Norwegians.

Lens produced the night’s late drama, twice coming from behind to beat 10-man Slavia Prague 3-2 thanks to stoppage-time goals from Florian Thauvin and Ruben Aguilar, after Danijel Sturm had twice put the Czech side ahead following Mikulas Konecny’s dismissal. Elsewhere, Fenerbahce and Roma drew 1-1, as did PSV Eindhoven and Shakhtar Donetsk.

The result comes as Manchester United plc (NYSE: MANU) trades at $20.02, down 1.96% from the previous close of $20.42, with a market capitalization of roughly $3.45 billion. The club, which operates in the entertainment industry within the communication services sector, earns revenue through broadcasting, matchday and commercial streams — making sustained European participation a meaningful factor in its financial calendar.

What to watch

• United’s Premier League fixture against Manchester City on Sunday, their next test before the second Champions League group-stage match.
• Upcoming Champions League fixtures for Bayern, Como and Lens as the new league phase takes shape.
• Manchester United’s quarterly earnings report, which will reflect broadcasting revenue tied to European competition.

Source: original release