Manchester United sent a sign of life in the Champions League and preserved their chances of progressing with their redeeming first win of the season. Bayern Munich’s group opponents won against FC Copenhagen 1-0 (0-0) – goalkeeper Andre Onana fended off a penalty kick deep in stoppage time and held on for the win. After three games, Man United are now third in Group A with three points.
Real Madrid mastered its tasks a little more confidently: the premier class record winner won 2-1 (1-0) at Sporting Braga thanks to Jude Bellingham’s next goal and is clearly leading Group C, in which Union Berlin is last. In the second half, however, the Royal team had to tremble at times. Coach Roger Schmidt, who caused a sensation with Benfica Lisbon last year, is threatened with elimination after the 0-1 (0-0) against Real Sociedad from San Sebastian. In Group D, the top Portuguese club is bottom of the table with no goals or points.
Game under the sign of mourning
The game in Manchester was all about mourning the late English football icon Bobby Charlton. Before kick-off, team manager Erik ten Hag carried a wreath of flowers onto the field, and after a minute’s silence, the fans at Old Trafford applauded. Charlton, world champion in 1966 and three times champion with the Red Devils, died on Saturday.
Manchester struggled for a long time, but then central defender Harry Maguire (72′) headed the ball into the goal. Because ManUnited didn’t make enough of its superiority, it remained exciting until the end – and that almost got revenge: Onana became a hero with his save against Jordan Larsson (90th + 6).
Arsenal jump to the top
Arsenal FC took the lead in Group B with a 2-1 (1-0) win at FC Sevilla. The Londoners pushed RC Lens into second place, who played 1-1 (0-0) against PSV Eindhoven.
Last year’s finalist Inter Milan had already taken another big step towards the knockout round. Inter defeated Red Bull Salzburg 2-1 (1-0) and is second in Group D behind Sociedad. Former Bundesliga professional Hakan Calhanoglu scored the winning goal (64th, penalty kick).