Harry Kane (C) of Bayern Munich celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal against Manchester United during their Champions League Group A match at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, September 20, 2023. /CFP
Harry Kane was among the scorers as Bayern Munich beat Manchester United 4-3 in their heavyweight Champions League clash on Wednesday. Jude Bellingham snatched a dramatic late winner for Real Madrid, and Arsenal began their campaign with a big victory.
The meeting between German champions Bayern and a struggling United side, a repeat of the 1999 final, was the biggest game of the opening round of matches in this season's competition, and it did not disappoint.
Leroy Sane gave Bayern the lead at the Allianz Arena in Munich with a shot that slipped through the grasp of United goalkeeper Andre Onana, and Jamal Musiala set up Serge Gnabry to make it 2-0 just after the half-hour mark.
Rasmus Hojlund pulled one back early in the second half with his first United goal, but shortly after that, Christian Eriksen was penalized for a handball in the box, and Kane blasted in the resulting penalty.
Sane hit the post for the hosts before a crazy finish saw Casemiro reduce the deficit again, substitute Mathys Tel score Bayern's fourth, and Casemiro nod in another at the death to make it 4-3.
"A crazy finish," Kane told British broadcaster TNT Sports after netting his fifth goal in six games for his new club.
"We lost a bit of concentration there in the last five minutes. Thankfully, we were able to hold onto the lead. Overall, it's a really good start to the campaign against a tough side."
Erik ten Hag's United team have now suffered three consecutive defeats in all competitions and lost four of their last five matches.
"After my mistake, we lost control of the game. It's a difficult situation for us, for me," said Onana in reference to Bayern's first goal.
Martin Odegaard (R) of Arsenal celebrates after scoring a goal against PSV Eindhoven during their Champions League Group B match at the Emirates Stadium in London, England, September 20, 2023. /CFP
Arsenal cruise
Arsenal cruised to a 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in their first Champions League game since the 2016-17 season.
Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus all scored first-half goals in the rain in London, and Martin Odegaard wrapped up the win after the break.
"It was a beautiful night after such a long time. It was great to see the atmosphere, the Champions League music. It was emotional before the game," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.
Jude Bellingham (#5) celebrates after scoring Read Madrid's first goal against Union Berlin during their Champions League Group C match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, September 20, 2023. /CFP
Bellingham strikes again
In Madrid, Bellingham popped up from close range to score a 94th-minute winner as record 14-time European champions Real beat tournament debutants Union Berlin 1-0 in Group C.
The England international started his Madrid career in stunning goal-scoring form, with six goals in six games for the club across all competitions.
"He has great qualities. It seems he's got luck too because the goal is a rebound, but he was there. He arrives from deep, and he's more switched on than others. He's got that quality, and he's taking advantage of it," said Real coach Carlo Ancelotti.
(With input from AFP)
Other UEFA Champions League matches on September 20
Group A: Galatasaray 2-2 FC Copenhagen
Group B: Sevilla 1-1 RC Lens
Group C: Real Madrid 1-0 Union Berlin, Braga 1-2 Napoli
Group D: Benfica 0-2 Red Bull Salzburg, Real Sociedad 1-1 Inter Milan