Champions League Highlights: Kane, United, and Como Shine
Harry Kane can’t stop. Manchester United are back. And Como, of all clubs, just made the Champions League feel brand new again.
It has been a statement week for Ballon d’Or nominees and for teams trying to reintroduce themselves to Europe’s top table.
Kane’s streak rolls on as Bayern crush Bodø/Glimt
Bayern Munich tore into last season’s surprise package Bodø/Glimt, running out 5-0 winners after a first half that offered the Norwegians real hope.
At 0-0, with the interval approaching, Bodø/Glimt still looked stubborn and organised. Then came the turning point. Goalkeeper Nikita Haikin did not reappear after halftime due to injury. Without their starter, the visitors collapsed.
The pressure finally told. Jamal Musiala, making his first start since on-field seizures caused by a neurological condition disrupted his preseason, broke the deadlock. He finished, then tapped his head in a pointed, personal celebration. A reminder he is still very much here.
Kane, inevitably, followed. His header for Bayern’s second extended his remarkable run to eight consecutive Champions League games with a goal, a streak stretching back to January. Every cross into the area feels like an invitation he refuses to decline.
Canada international Alphonso Davies added the third, and the floodgates stayed open as Bayern turned control into a demolition. For Bodø/Glimt, who thrilled Europe last season, this was a brutal lesson in what happens when the margins go against you.
United return with a rout
Old Trafford has missed nights like this. After nearly three years away from the Champions League, Manchester United came back with noise, goals and a 4-0 dismantling of Azerbaijan’s Sabah.
The tone changed in the 27th minute. Matheus Cunha drove United in front, settling any lingering nerves in the stands. From there, it became a procession.
Bruno Fernandes stepped up to double the lead before halftime, Benjamin Sesko added a third, and United walked down the tunnel 3-0 up in their first game in the competition since December 2023. The crowd knew the contest was over.
Lisandro Martinez still wanted more. After the break he scrambled home a fourth, the kind of scruffy defender’s goal that underlines a team’s dominance as much as any long-range strike. United weren’t just back; they were enjoying themselves.
Como’s elders watch history from the best seats
In Como, history came with a human touch.
For the club’s first-ever Champions League match, president Mirwan Surwaso and the directors surrendered some of the best seats in the stadium. Those places went instead to supporters born in 1950 or earlier, fans who had waited a lifetime to see this night.
They watched something special. Como didn’t just debut; they dismantled Leipzig 4-1.
Croatian midfielder Martin Baturina wrote his name into club folklore with the first-ever Champions League goal for Como, setting them on their way. The Italian side settled, grew in confidence and turned a landmark occasion into a statement performance. For those older fans in the prime seats, it was a reward decades in the making.
Roma and Fenerbahce back, but held
Elsewhere, Roma and Fenerbahce also stepped back into the Champions League spotlight after long absences, but their return came with frustration rather than celebration in a 1-1 draw.
Roma, out of the competition 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 clean hit that seemed to mark a triumphant comeback.
Fenerbahce, playing their first Champions League campaign since 2008-09, refused to play the role of grateful guests. Just after the restart, left back Archie Brown wandered into a center forward’s position and finished like a natural, flicking the ball over the goalkeeper in the 48th minute to level the game.
Nathan Aké almost stole it late on, his header crashing against the bar with Fenerbahce inches from a dramatic winner. Instead, both clubs had to settle for a point and the feeling that they left something out there.
Late drama across Europe
The chaos wasn’t confined to Rome.
In Eindhoven, United States full back Sergiño Dest found the net for PSV, finishing a low cross to earn a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk after Gleiker Mendoza had put the Ukrainian side ahead. Dest’s timing spared PSV from opening their campaign with a home defeat.
Then came one of the wildest finishes of the night. Slavia Prague, reduced to 10 men early in the second half, still managed to lead twice against Lens. They looked set for a heroic win.
Lens refused to accept it. Deep into stoppage time, they struck twice to turn 2-1 defeat into a 3-2 victory, ripping the result away from a Slavia side that had done almost everything right until the final moments.
On a night of comebacks, streaks and firsts, the Champions League reminded everyone why it never feels routine. And with Kane scoring, United stirring and Como dreaming, this campaign already has the feel of a season that won’t stick to the script.
