Big scores in Matchday 3 and good to see the MANCS open up with 4-0 win vs Sabah. Great week for English clubs. What say the MANCS

Champions League Matchday 3: Como Crash the Party as Bayern and United Flex Their Muscle

Thursday night was supposed to belong to the heavyweights. Bayern Munich were there. Manchester United were back beneath the Champions League lights. Roma travelled into the furnace of Istanbul. PSV had Shakhtar waiting in Eindhoven.

And then Como walked in and stole the evening. That was the beauty of the third and final night of this opening Champions League week. Some teams did exactly what we expected. Others reminded us why expectation can be such a dangerous thing in Europe. By the end of it, Bayern had scored five, United had scored four, Lens had somehow escaped Prague with three points and RB Leipzig were left wondering what exactly had just happened to them on the shores of Lake Como. Como didn’t come to admire the scenery

Como 4–1 RB Leipzig

There are Champions League debuts where a club simply looks happy to be there. Como clearly didn’t get the memo. Cesc Fàbregas’ side didn’t approach Leipzig like newcomers asking permission to sit at Europe’s top table. They played like a team convinced the chair had already been reserved for them. And Leipzig paid for underestimating just how dangerous that confidence could be.

Martin Baturina set the tone. His opening goal gave Como belief, but his influence stretched far beyond the finish. He was clever between the lines, sharp when Como transitioned and constantly involved whenever Leipzig’s defensive structure began to unravel.

Anastasios Douvikas doubled the advantage. Assane Diao added another. Máximo Perrone completed the demolition. Four goals.

On their Champions League debut. Against Leipzig.

That isn’t simply a memorable European night. It’s a statement. Leipzig will have much uglier questions to answer. Their willingness to attack left enormous spaces behind them, and Como were ruthless enough to turn those spaces into highways. Once the game became stretched, Leipzig never regained control.

For Como, meanwhile, this was about more than three points. The Champions League has met its newest troublemakers.

 

Bayern Munich 5–0 Bodø/Glimt

Bayern spent 45 minutes loading the gun.For one half, Bodø/Glimt could look at the scoreboard and dream.

0–0.

Then Bayern returned from the dressing room.

Dream over.

Jamal Musiala opened the door and suddenly the entire building collapsed. Harry Kane got involved. Alphonso Davies joined the fun. Michael Olise scored twice.

Five goals arrived after the interval.

That is the frightening thing about Bayern. They don’t always need to dominate you from the opening whistle. Sometimes they’ll spend half a game figuring out exactly where you’re vulnerable.

Then they attack the wound.

Olise was particularly devastating once Bayern found their rhythm. His movement dragged defenders into uncomfortable positions and his finishing turned what had been a competitive European tie into another Munich procession.

There will be tougher nights ahead.

Much tougher.

But Bayern’s message remains familiar: if you give them even 20 minutes in which the game becomes chaotic, they can end your evening before you’ve realised what changed.

Manchester United 4–0 Sabah.

Manchester United are back — and they looked like they belonged

The Champions League anthem returned to Old Trafford.

Manchester United responded with four goals.

There was something almost reassuringly straightforward about this one.

No late panic. No unnecessary European drama. No desperate final ten minutes protecting a one-goal lead.

United simply handled their business.

Matheus Cunha got them moving. Bruno Fernandes followed. Benjamin Šeško helped put the contest beyond Sabah before the break, and Lisandro Martínez added another.

4–0.

Job done.

Sabah were clearly overmatched, so nobody should start planning a parade down Sir Matt Busby Way just yet. The value of this performance wasn’t that United proved themselves capable of beating Europe’s elite.

It was that they behaved like the superior team from the beginning.

That hasn’t always been guaranteed on European nights at Old Trafford.

The transitions were sharp. The attacking movement had purpose. There was aggression without recklessness. And most importantly, United never allowed an opponent they should beat to convince themselves that an upset was possible.

For Michael Carrick, that’s about as clean a Champions League return as he could have requested.

Bigger examinations are coming.

United have at least passed the first one without spilling ink all over the paper.

 

 

Fenerbahçe 1–1 Roma

Istanbul welcomed the Champions League back with noise.Eighteen years.

That was how long Fenerbahçe had waited to return to the Champions League proper.

You could feel it.

Roma walked into an atmosphere that wanted to swallow them whole and initially handled it impressively. Bryan Cristante gave the visitors the lead and, for a while, experience appeared capable of silencing emotion.

Fenerbahçe weren’t interested.

Archie Brown equalised after the interval and the Turkish side pushed for the winner, even striking the woodwork late on.

It finished level, but this didn’t feel like an empty point for Fener.

European football is different when Istanbul’s major clubs are relevant. The noise changes games. The pressure changes games. Visiting teams can feel as though every throw-in has become a referendum on their survival.

Roma escaped with something.

Fenerbahçe announced that their return won’t simply be ceremonial.

Como leave famous. And after three nights of Champions League football, Europe’s hierarchy already feels a little less comfortable than it did on Tuesday morning. That’s exactly how this competition should feel.