Manchester United marked their long-awaited return to the Champions League with a clinical 4-0 victory over Azerbaijani side Sabah at Old Trafford. Competing in Europe’s premier club tournament for the first time in three seasons, the three-time European champions displayed their class against a club formed only nine years ago, successfully launching their latest campaign in front of a 74,000-strong home crowd.
United boss Michael Carrick expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, particularly their defensive solidity. “It’s nice to have a clean sheet and obviously win the game,” Carrick noted. “I thought some of our attacking play was fantastic, some of the football we played was really good.” The victory provided a timely boost for United, who have had a modest start to their domestic Premier League season with four points from their opening three fixtures.
Despite the gulf in pedigree, Sabah showed early confidence on their debut at Europe’s highest level. However, the visitors struggled to contain United’s momentum once the deadlock was broken in the 27th minute by Matheus Cunha. Patrick Dorgu, filling in for Luke Shaw, was instrumental in the opener, whipping in a precise cross that Cunha steered into the net at the near post.
The contest was effectively decided during a prolific three-minute spell before halftime. A smooth exchange between Youri Tielemans and Bruno Fernandes set up the United captain to slot home his fourth goal in just two home appearances this campaign. Shortly after, Bryan Mbeumo teed up Benjamin Sesko, who rounded goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov to score on his first start of the season.
For Sabah coach Valdas Dambrauskas, the match marked an emotional return to Old Trafford, having once worked for Manchester United Soccer Schools while holding multiple part-time jobs. Reflecting on the result, Dambrauskas admitted his side faced a steep learning curve. “We will all go home tonight thinking we could have done a little bit better,” the coach said. “I didn’t feel that we are scared and we are afraid but also we didn’t have enough courage, especially from the back line to move up.”
In the second half, United were able to rotate their squad, resting players like Tielemans, Kobbie Mainoo, Mbeumo, and Sesko. While the tempo slowed, Lisandro Martinez added a fourth goal after a defensive error. Following a blocked backheel attempt by Joshua Zirkzee, the ball fell kindly for Martinez, who tapped into an empty net after a fumble by the Sabah keeper.
This performance sets a positive tone as United prepare for a challenging Manchester derby against City this coming Sunday. While this win represents a successful start, tougher challenges lie ahead in Europe, including a trip to face Atletico Madrid in five weeks. The result continues a strong week for English clubs in the competition, with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, and Manchester City all securing wins in their respective openers. The report also notes that yet the difference in class between the three-time European champions and a club only formed nine years ago told once Cunha opened the floodgates on 27 minutes. The report also notes that sabah navigated four rounds of qualifying to earn their night at the Theatre of Dreams. The report also notes that dambrauskas conceded even before the match that Sabah had leapfrogged a few stages in their development by reaching the Champions League proper before they had even experienced the Europa or Conference League. The report also notes that however, they could not live with the Premier League giants once the Red Devils clicked up through the gears.
