Manchester: Cristiano Ronaldo capped a rousing comeback as Manchester United edged Atalanta 3-2 in an end-to-end thriller at Old Trafford while holders Chelsea cruised past Malmö while Bayern Munich put in an impressive late cameo against Benfica on another night of Champions League action in Europe.
Ronaldo. the competition’s all-time leading scorer. scored the winner and completed another Manchester United turnaround on Wednesday night,
Atalanta were irresistible for the first 45 minutes as Mario Pašalic and Merih Demiral opened up a 2-0 lead, but there was no stopping United after the break.
Marcus Rashford quickly pulled one back and the momentum was really with the hosts when Harry Maguire levelled with 15 minutes to go. A header from Ronaldo finished the job as United claimed three points in Group F.
Things were far easy for defending champions Chelsea as they romped to a 4-0 win against Malmo in Group H.
In London, Andreas Christensen’s emphatic half-volley, Jorginho penalties in either half and a neat Kai Havertz finish following a rapid counterattack left the holders three points behind group leaders Juventus.
Apparent injuries suffered by Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner were the only concerns for Chelsea, while Malmö are still seeking their first point.
In Group E at Lisbon, a stunning late flourish brought Bayern four goals in 15 minutes to sweep aside Benfica and make it 20 away Champions League matches unbeaten for the German giants.
Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller both had goals ruled out by VAR before Leroy Sané bent in a free-kick. Substitute Everton then inadvertently turned into his own net, before Sané teed up Lewandowski for a tap-in and buried a cutback for his second.
Clear chances were at a premium at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg, where Claudinho’s first-half shot was kept out by Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. At the other end of the pitch, Zenit goalkeeper Stanislav Kritsyuk’s smart reactions denied Weston McKennie from Álvaro Morata’s clever through ball after the break.
Just as it looked as if both sides would have to be content with a point, Mattia De Sciglio’s pinpoint cross from the left was expertly headed in by substitute Dejan Kulusevski to keep Juventus’s perfect Group H record intact.
Elsewhere, Lillie were held to a second home draw of the group stage against a Sevilla side who could have snatched an early lead; Suso was denied from close range and Rafa Mir had a shot cleared off the line by Tiago Djaló. The lively Renato Sanches came closest for the hosts, but his one-on-one effort was blocked by Yassine Bounou.
The result means Sevilla, who are yet to score from open play in this season’s competition, stay second in Group G, while Lillie move up to third.
(IANS)
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