Ex-RFS Coach Dambrausks Suffers Debut Loss to Man United in Champions League
Azerbaijani champions Sabah, coached by former RFS manager Valds Dambrausks, lost 0:4 away to Manchester United in their Champions League debut. The tournament's opening round also produced several other results, including a dramatic late loss for Slavia Prague.
Azerbaijani champions Sabah, led by former RFS head coach Valds Dambrausks, played their first-ever UEFA Champions League match away against Manchester United and lost 0:4. Sabah reached the main tournament by clearing every round of qualifying.
The hosts took the lead in the 27th minute when Matheus Cunha converted Patrick Dorgu's cross with a single touch. Late in the first half, United added two more goals within three minutes — captain Bruno Fernandes finished with a precise strike, before Benjamin Sesko doubled the tally further. Lisandro Martinez completed the scoring after a well-worked set-piece routine.
Dambrausks coached in the Latvian Virsliga from 2017 to 2020, winning the Latvian Cup with RFS. He went on to work in Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus and Hungary before joining the Azerbaijani club. Sabah set a new Champions League record in their debut match, fielding a starting eleven featuring players of 11 different nationalities.
Other results
Italian fourth-placed side Como also made their Champions League debut, beating Leipzig 4:1 at home, while Bayern Munich thrashed Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt 5:0. Bayern's Harry Kane scored in his eighth consecutive Champions League appearance, joining Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski and Ruud van Nistelrooy as the only players to achieve this feat.
The most dramatic match took place in Prague, where hosts Slavia went 2:1 ahead in the 88th minute through Daniel Sturm's second goal of the night. However, French club Lens struck twice in stoppage time through Florent Tauvin and Rubens Aguilar to snatch a 3:2 away win.
