Champions League Highlights: United, Kane, and Como Shine

The Champions League group stage is barely underway and it already belongs to the headline-makers. Manchester United are back. Harry Kane is relentless. And Como, of all clubs, has turned its first night on this stage into a memory for a lifetime.

Kane and Bayern crush Bodø/Glimt

Ballon d’Or contenders took center stage in Munich and never let go. Bayern ripped through last season’s surprise package Bodø/Glimt 5-0, a scoreline that felt harsh only until the Norwegians lost their nerve — and their goalkeeper.

At halftime it was 0-0 and still a contest. Then Nikita Haikin failed to reappear after an injury, and Bodø/Glimt simply fell apart.

Jamal Musiala, starting for the first time since on-field seizures linked to a neurological condition derailed his preseason, broke the deadlock. He finished, then pointed to his head in a pointed, personal celebration.

The pressure finally told on Bodø/Glimt and Bayern smelled blood. Harry Kane climbed to head in the second, extending his extraordinary run to eight consecutive Champions League games with a goal, a streak dating back to January. Defenders knew what was coming. They still couldn’t stop it.

Alphonso Davies joined the party with Bayern’s third, surging forward from left back to score, and Michael Olise did the rest. The winger struck twice to complete the demolition and underline Bayern’s early authority in the group.

Manchester United back with a bang

Three years away from the Champions League felt like an eternity at Old Trafford. United returned as if they’d never left.

Azerbaijan’s Sabah arrived with ambition; they left with a 4-0 defeat and a harsh reminder of what this competition can do to newcomers in a hostile arena.

Matheus Cunha set the tone in the 27th minute, driving United in front and shaking off any early nerves. Once the first went in, the old soundtrack returned — noise, confidence, inevitability.

Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko struck before the break, turning a controlled performance into a rout by halftime. Sabah had no answer to the tempo or the movement, and the second half became about how ruthless United wanted to be.

Lisandro Martinez scrambled home the fourth after the interval, a defender’s goal in a forward’s scoreline, and Old Trafford could finally breathe. This was United’s first Champions League game since December 2023. They played like a club determined not to wait that long again.

Como’s golden generation gets front-row glory

In Como, the Champions League debut felt less like a corporate event and more like a civic celebration. The club’s oldest fans — those born in 1950 or earlier — were given the best seats in the house by president Mirwan Surwaso and his directors. On a night like this, history deserved the best view.

Those supporters watched their team dismantle Leipzig 4-1 in its first-ever match in the competition. No easing in. No stage fright. Just a statement.

Croatian midfielder Martin Baturina wrote his name into the club’s history with Como’s first Champions League goal, a strike that set the tone and sent belief surging through the stadium. From there, Leipzig never really got a grip on the game as Como turned a landmark night into a commanding win.

Roma and Fenerbahce held on their return

Elsewhere, nostalgia met resistance. Roma and Fenerbahce both stepped back into the Champions League after long absences, but neither found the fairytale ending. Their meeting finished 1-1, a draw loaded with frustration on both sides.

Roma, missing from the competition for seven seasons since reaching the last 16 in 2018-19, struck first. Bryan Cristante drilled a low shot from outside the box in the 39th minute, a precise finish that seemed to be steering the Italians toward a perfect comeback.

Fenerbahce, back in the Champions League for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign, refused to play the supporting role. Left back Archie Brown stepped into a center forward’s position and looked completely at home, flicking the ball over the goalkeeper to level in the 48th minute.

Nathan Aké almost stole it late on, his header crashing against the bar with the goalkeeper beaten. For Fenerbahce, it was the width of the woodwork between a point and a dream return.

Late drama across Europe

The night’s chaos didn’t stop there.

In Eindhoven, United States full back Sergiño Dest found the net for PSV in a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk, finishing a low cross after Gleiker Mendoza had given the Ukrainian side the lead. It was a hard-earned point rather than a statement, but PSV stayed upright in a tricky opener.

In Prague, the drama turned wild. Slavia Prague, down to 10 men from the start of the second half, twice went ahead against Lens and still walked away with nothing.

Lens refused to accept defeat. Deep into stoppage time, with Slavia clinging on, the French side struck twice to win 3-2, flipping the result in a breathless finale that will sting in this group for weeks.

On a single Champions League night, giants reasserted themselves, debutants refused to bow, and old names tried to remember how this stage feels. If this is the opening act, what comes next?