Champions League kicks off with dominant home wins for Bayern, United and debutant Como
On Thursday's opening matchday of this season's UEFA Champions League league phase, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and first-time participant Como all secured commanding home victories. Several other fixtures ended in draws or narrow results.
The UEFA Champions League league phase began on Thursday, with several clubs claiming convincing wins on home turf.
Bayern Munich thrashed Norway's Bodo/Glimt 5:0 at home. After a goalless first half, the German side scored five times, with goals from Jamal Musiala, Harry Kane, Alphonso Davies and a brace from Michael Olise. Bodo/Glimt finished the match with ten men after a red card near the end.
Italian club Como made a memorable start to their first-ever appearance in Europe's elite club competition, in the 119-year history of the club, beating Germany's RB Leipzig 4:1 at home. Como's goals came from Martin Baturina, Anastasios Douvikas, Assane Diao and Maximo Perrone, while Andrija Maksimović scored Leipzig's consolation goal.
Manchester United delivered a dominant 4:0 home win over fellow debutants Baku's Sabah, with goals from Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko and Lisandro Martinez.
Tighter contests elsewhere
In Prague, Czech side Slavia lost 2:3 at home to France's Lens, despite having taken the lead and playing with a numerical advantage after an opponent's red card. Lens equalized in stoppage time and scored the winner in the closing minutes.
In Istanbul, Fenerbahce drew 1:1 with AS Roma, while PSV Eindhoven and Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk also finished level at 1:1.
This is the third season under the Champions League's revamped format, featuring 36 teams in a single league table, each facing eight different opponents. The final is scheduled for June 5 in Madrid. Paris Saint-Germain are the defending champions, having beaten Arsenal on penalties in last season's final.
