FC Bayern Munich's Harry Kane attends a team training session a day before their group stage Champions League soccer match between Bayern Munich and Bodø/Glimt, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick, right, speaks with Jonny Evans during a training session at Carrington Training Centre in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Sept 9, 2026. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford, foreground, gestures, during a training session at Carrington Training Centre in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
Fenerbahce's Archie Brown, centre, challenges for the ball with Roma's Gianluca Mancini, left, and Roma's Devyne Rensch during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Fenerbahce and Roma in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Roma's Bryan Cristante, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Fenerbahce and Roma in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Fenerbahce's Archie Brown, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Fenerbahce and Roma in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
PSV's Sergino Dest, right, scores his side's first goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between PSV and Shakhtar in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
Bayern's Harry Kane, third from left bottom, scores his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayern Munich and Bodo Glimt in Munich, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Lennart Preiss)
Manchester United's Patrick Dorgu controls the ball during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Manchester United and Sabah FK in Manchester, England, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)
Fenerbahce's head coach Ismail Kartal gives instructions from the side line during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Fenerbahce and Roma in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Como's supporters cheer during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Como and Leipzig in Como, Italy, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Como older fan cheers prior to the start of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Como and Leipzig in Como, Italy, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, Como officials giving up seats to older fans. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Manchester United is back to winning ways in the Champions League, Como made itself at home with a debut win, and Harry Kane can't stop scoring.

A 5-0 rout for Bayern and a 4-0 win for United were statement victories against overmatched opponents, while Como's success showed it belongs at Champions League level.

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Off the field, it was a less clear-cut situation at Fenerbahce, where coach Ismail Kartal appeared to announce his resignation suddenly after a 1-1 draw with Roma, without fully explaining his motivations, but the club didn't confirm he'd leave.

It's been a big week already in the Champions League for Ballon D'Or nominees. Kane scored once and Michael Olise twice in Bayern's demolition of last season's sensation Bodø/Glimt. The Norwegian team crumbled in the second half after starting goalkeeper Nikita Haikin went off injured at halftime with the score at 0-0.

Kane heading in Bayern's second goal meant the England striker has now scored in eight consecutive Champions League games stretching back to January.

Bayern's opening goal was scored by Jamal Musiala in his first start since on-field seizures caused by a neurological condition which disrupted his preseason. He celebrated by tapping his head.

“The feeling I had today is one I haven't had in a while. I'm happy and I know I still have steps forward to take,” he told broadcaster Prime Video.

United returned to the Champions League with a bang after a nearly three-year absence from the competition.

Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko and Lisandro Martinez all scored in the 4-0 rout of Azerbaijan’s Sabah, which was making its Champions League debut.

It was United’s first game in the Champions League since December 2023.

Cunha fired United ahead at Old Trafford in the 27th. Fernandes and Sesko made it 3-0 by halftime and Martinez scrambled home a fourth after the break. That could help stabilize things for United and coach Michael Carrick after an up-and-down start to the season including a loss to Hull and draw with Everton.

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“The result looks comfortable; it wasn’t always like that, but I thought we just did a lot of good things tonight, which gave us a good result,” Carrick told TNT Sports.

Como's oldest fans had the best seats in the house to see their team beat Leipzig 4-1 in the team's first-ever game in the Champions League.

The Italian club's president Mirwan Surwaso and directors gave up prime seats to fans born in 1950 or earlier. Croatian midfielder Martin Baturina scored the first-ever goal for Como in the competition to set the team on course for the win.

The post-game confusion over Fenerbahce's coach ended a game which saw both teams end long absences from the Champions League but neither able to claim a win. A statement on Fenerbahce's website attributed to club president Aziz Yildirim indicated he expected Kartal to stay in his job.

Roma had missed seven Champions League seasons since reaching the last 16 in 2018-19, while Fenerbahce was last in Europe's top-tier competition in the 2008-09 campaign.

Roma took the lead on Bryan Cristante's low shot from outside the box in the 39th minute. Fenerbahce left back Archie Brown moved into a center forward position and looked like a natural striker as he flicked the ball over the goalkeeper to level the score in the 48th. Nathan Aké headed against the bar late on with a chance to win the game for Fenerbahce.

United States full back Sergiño Dest scored for PSV Eindhoven off a low cross in a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk after Gleiker Mendoza had opened the scoring for the Ukrainian team.

Lens scored twice in stoppage time to win 3-2 at Slavia Prague, which twice took the lead despite having Mikulas Konecny sent off three minutes after he was substituted on for the start of the second half.

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AP Sports Writers James Robson and Jerome Pugmire contributed to this report.

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

 

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