Leroy Sane scores twice as Bayern Munich run in four goals against Benfica
Bayern Munich struck four times in a devastating spell late in the second half to cruise past Benfica 4-0 in Lisbon.
The Bundesliga giants made it three wins out of three Champions League Group E matches, providing some cheer for head coach Julian Nagelsmann who missed the game with flu and stayed behind in Germany.
Before the glut of goals, Bayern had hit the woodwork and also had two efforts disallowed, while Benfica had their share of good opportunities in an entertaining game before eventually running out of steam after the 70th minute.
That is when Leroy Sane whipped in a fierce free-kick, before driving home his second goal in the 85th after Benfica substitute Everton headed in an own goal in the 80th and Robert Lewandowski bagged their third goal two minutes later.
Bayern, who have now scored 12 goals in their three games and have conceded none, are top of Group E on nine points, with Benfica in second place on four.
Barcelona are third as they gained their first win in the competition this season after Gerard Pique netted in a 1-0 victory against Dynamo Kiev at the Nou Camp.
Red Bull Salzburg pulled clear at the top of Group G with a 3-1 home win against Wolfsburg. Lukas Nmecha cancelled out Karim Adeyemi’s opener for the hosts before a second-half double from Noah Okafor gave Red Bull their second group win.
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Sevilla are second behind the Austrian champions after drawing 0-0 with Lille in France.
CRISTIANOOOOO RONALDOOOO!! 🙌— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 20, 2021
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s comeback kings did it again as Cristiano Ronaldo secured Manchester United a thrilling 3-2 victory in a breathless Champions League clash with Atalanta.
United were staring down the barrel of defeat and were booed by some fans as they trudged off at half-time trailing to goals from Mario Pasalic and Merih Demiral, only for Solskjaer’s side to storm back memorably at Old Trafford.
Marcus Rashford struck on his first start since the Europa League final and Harry Maguire lashed home a leveller, setting up a box office finish that Ronaldo delivered with a powerful header from Luke Shaw’s cross.
The other game in United’s group saw Villarreal win 4-1 at Young Boys. Yeremi Pino and Moreno gave the visitors a comfortable half-time lead which they held until the 77th minute when Meschack Elia pulled a goal back.
The tense finish did not materialise for the Spanish side, who restored their two-goal cushion with further strikes from substitutes Alberto Moreno and Samuel Chukwueze late on.
🔢 Predict how Group F will finish… #UCL— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 20, 2021
Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner limped out of Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Malmo to deal the Blues a fresh set of injury concerns.
Jorginho converted two penalties, while Andreas Christensen and Kai Havertz laid on classy finishes – but Chelsea’s new injuries still grabbed the greatest attention.
Lukaku hobbled off in clear pain with an ankle problem, while Werner picked up a hamstring issue as the Blues claimed their second win in Group H.
Juventus stay top of the group after Dejan Kulusevski’s 86th-minute header gave them a 1-0 win against Zenit St Petersburg in Russia.