Bayern beat Man Utd in a seven-goal thriller.

Manchester United chased the score but still lost 3-4 to Bayern Munich in their opening match of Group A in the Champions League.

The two teams delivered a goalfest and a back-and-forth battle at the Allianz Arena, with the difference never exceeding two goals. A victory for the home side was predicted beforehand, but Man Utd refused to give up easily. However, Casemiro's goal, reducing the deficit to 3-4, came too late, just before referee Glenn Nyberg's final whistle.

Andre Onana's fumbled save led to Manchester United's first goal conceded. Photo: AP

Man Utd started well, creating dangerous chances first, but Facundo Pellistri and Christian Eriksen both missed close-range shots, while manager Erik ten Hag celebrated prematurely on the touchline. The visitors played short passes thanks to Onana's ball-playing ability. However, he made a mistake that led to a goal, when Leroy Sane's shot from the edge of the penalty area went just wide of the post, but the 27-year-old goalkeeper fumbled the ball.

The goal from their first opportunity boosted Bayern's morale, and assistant coach Zsolt Low and Anthony Barry celebrated together on a day when Thomas Tuchel was absent due to a touchline suspension. The home side scored from a second chance; this time, midfielder Jamal Musiala dribbled past Diogo Dalot on the left side of the penalty area before passing to Serge Gnabry, who fired into the far corner, giving Onana no chance to save. On the sidelines, Ten Hag shook his head and wiped his face as the net rippled.

Unlike the previous defeat against Brighton, this time Man Utd fought back more strongly. At the start of the second half, new signing Rasmus Hojlund scored the first goal for the "Red Devils" with a shot that bounced off the ground and deflected off an opponent's foot, leaving goalkeeper Sven Ulreich with no chance. Ulreich could have done better, but his mistake wasn't as serious as Onana's in the first goal.

Harry Kane scored from the penalty kick even though Onana guessed the right direction.

After scoring, Hojlund high-fived his teammates enthusiastically. However, Man Utd suffered a setback just a minute later when center-back Dayot Upamecano's header struck Eriksen's hand inside the penalty area. Thanks to VAR advice, the referee awarded a penalty to the home side, and striker Harry Kane seized the opportunity, firing a powerful low shot into the left corner to make it 3-1.

As Kane prepared to shoot, the stands erupted with chants of "Harry, Harry" to cheer on their expensive new signing. The English striker had been linked with Man Utd, but then chose to join Bayern last summer. He didn't disappoint the home crowd, scoring his fifth goal in his first six games.

Bayern continued to dominate but squandered opportunities, including Sane's shot that hit the post and bounced out. They allowed Man Utd to fight back again when Casemiro quickly scored despite being down after a scramble in the 88th minute. But Bayern restored their two-goal lead just four minutes later. This time Joshua Kimmich lofted the ball into the penalty area for Mathys Tel to fire into the near corner, beating Onana.

Apart from the first goal conceded, the Cameroonian goalkeeper played well and made at least two spectacular saves for the visitors. But Tel had too much time and space before shooting. This goal secured the victory for the home team as there were only two minutes left in the match.

Manchester United once scored two goals in three minutes of added time to come from behind and beat Bayern 2-1 in the 1999 Champions League final. This time they didn't give up, and Casemiro completed his brace with a close-range header from a Bruno Fernandes cross. However, the referee blew the final whistle shortly after Bayern kicked off.

Bayern played better, while Man Utd still have a good chance of progressing through the Champions League group stage. The "Red Devils" will welcome back center-back Raphael Varane, new signing Sofyan Amrabat, and Mason Mount for their next Premier League match against Burnley on September 23rd.

Xuan Binh

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