Bayern Munich vs. Manchester United score: Germans cruise despite tight, seven-goal scoreline in UCL opener

Tuchel's side are off to a winning start after edging Ten Hag's men in Bavaria

Bayern Munich got off to a winning start in UEFA Champions League Group A thanks to a 4-3 success over Manchester United at Allianz Arena on Wednesday. The Germans took the lead through Leroy Sane on the half hour when Andre Onana inexplicably let the shot squirm through and into the net which Serge Gnabry doubled just four minutes later after he was teed up by Jamal Musiala.

Rasmus Hojlund gave Erik ten Hag's side hope early in the second half with his first goal for the club to make it 2-1 but Christian Eriksen was penalized for handball five minutes later which allowed Harry Kane to re-establish a two-goal cushion for Thomas Tuchel's side. It stayed 3-1 until the dying minutes when the game went goal crazy with three goals in the space of seven minutes.

Casemiro scored twice either side of Mathys Tel to give United false hope of a point with the first a scrappy finish and the second a header from a Bruno Fernandes free kick. It was not enough for the Red Devils, though, who start with a loss in UCL Group A which puts them bottom after Galatasaray and Copenhagen drew.

Don't miss CBS Sports Golazo Network's Morning Footy, now in podcast form! Our crew brings you all the news, views, highlights and laughs you need to follow the Beautiful Game in every corner of the globe, every Monday-Friday all year long

[Sep 20, 2023 at 4:56 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

FT: Bayern 4-3 United

It was an incredible finish with a flurry of late goals but Bayern run out winners by a goal and United will be left to ponder Onana and Eriksen's mistakes for 1-0 and 3-1 to the Germans. Sane opened the scoring as Onana somehow let the ball squeeze through before Gnabry doubled the lead. Hojlund's first United goal dragged them back into it only for Kane to re-establish the two-goal advantage. Casemiro and Tel then traded goals before the Brazilian struck again to finish a pulsating final 10 minutes or so at Allianz Arena.

[Sep 20, 2023 at 4:53 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Bayern 4-3 United! 

Incredible stuff. Casemiro at the double! The Brazilian heads home a Fernandes free kick to move within a goal once again.

[Sep 20, 2023 at 4:50 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Bayern 4-2 United!

Once again, Ten Hag's men give up a goal immediately after getting to within one. Tel with the killer goal for Bayern to secure what should be all three points.

[Sep 20, 2023 at 4:47 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Bayern 3-2 United!

Casemiro sets up a dramatic finish as he scraps in a finish to bring Ten Hag's men within a goal again. Do they have it in them to get another and claim an unexpected point in Bavaria? They have been hanging in there to stay in the game which has suddenly paid off inside the final 10 minutes. 

[Sep 20, 2023 at 4:32 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Bayern comfortable

As expected, Bayern's third goal has taken the sting out of the game a little which United thought that they had revived through Hojlund. The Germans are happy to keep probing without pushing too hard while it looks a bridge too far from Ten Hag's side for now. Into the final 20 minutes and the Dutch tactician needs his team to find a goal as soon as possible to get back into this.

[Sep 20, 2023 at 4:11 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Bayern 3-1 United!

After a lengthy VAR check for an unfortunate handball on Eriksen, the home side are given a chance to score again from the spot and restore their two-goal lead. Kane steps up to convert and dash United hopes minutes after Hojlund got them back into it. A familiar outcome for the Premier League side who know what the England international is all about. 

[Sep 20, 2023 at 4:08 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Bayern 2-1 United!

There is a lifeline for the visitors through Hojlund who scores on the turn thanks to a deflection. A big moment to get his first goal for the club and Ten Hag's men can dream of salvaging at least a point once more. Ideal start to the second half for United that -- suddenly the game is totally changing.

[Sep 20, 2023 at 3:50 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

HT: Bayern 2-0 United

The Germans lead at half time through Sane and Gnabry's goals. The score is harsh on Ten Hag's side, but Onana let them down badly with the first goal and Tuchel's side quickly shifted through the gears to add a second. United need an early goal to get back in this but looked out of it coming into the break. What can the Red Devils conjure up for the second 45? 

[Sep 20, 2023 at 3:35 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Bayern 2-0 United!

The hosts are suddenly alive to the blood in the water and Gnabry doubles their lead. Musiala tees him up to sweep home past Onana and suddenly this is a mountain to climb for the away side. It has literally taken minutes for United to go to bits and Ten Hag's game plan is in tatters despite a decent start.

[Sep 20, 2023 at 3:30 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Bayern 1-0 United!

Sane puts the hosts ahead from outside the box, but what a nightmare goal for Onana to concede from there. Ten Hag will be furious that the Red Devils trail here as they have not been the worse side so far -- not at all. That goal was totally avoidable and United trail because of it with Bayern gifted the lead without really doing much to deserve it.

[Sep 20, 2023 at 3:28 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Goalless

It has been a bit sloppy so far with neither side really able to keep hold of the ball. A few small openings on either side, but nothing too major. A few flash points too with a bit of aggression on show. A smart header from Casemiro just cut out a good advance from United which saw Laimer ping the ball in.

[Sep 20, 2023 at 3:11 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

United penalty shout

The visitors have already seen their hopes for a penalty waved away by the referee after a VAR check. Davies lucky as he went in on Pellistri. Ulreich, luckily for the Canadian, down low to keep the ball out anyway. United are the better side in these early exchanges with no real look in for Kane and the Bayern attack -- so far.

[Sep 20, 2023 at 3:02 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Underway

We have kick-off in Munich and the game is now live! A great atmosphere at Allianz Arena which perfectly suits a big European night. Hopefully it will be as action packed as Tuesday's games were with this the undoubted tie of the day. A chance for either one of these two sides after the draw between Galatasaray and Copenhagen. 

[Sep 20, 2023 at 2:40 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Turkish turnaround

Well, well, well... Group A has changed its early standings in a matter of minutes with Galatasaray coming back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Copenhagen. Sacha Boey and Tete the scorers to salvage a point and offer Bayern or United the chance to go top with a win. 

[Sep 20, 2023 at 2:18 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Copenhagen lead

An interesting development in Group A is Copenhagen leading 2-0 away at Galatasaray with 15 minutes to go. The Turkish giants seen as dark horses to sneak second from United in some quarters, but Mohamed Elyounoussi and Diogo Goncalves with goals in either half have Istanbul stunned. Given their impressive summer transfer window, Gala had strengthened with a view to making an impact in Europe. So far, though, it is the Danes who will be the team to keep an eye for both Bayern and United moving forward.

[Sep 20, 2023 at 2:03 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Confirmed starting XIs

The teams are in and some interesting personnel decisions from Erik ten Hag -- notably in defense where Bayern will feel confident that they can get at their visitors. As for the hosts, Thomas Tuchel will feel happy with his starting XI in most areas with Harry Kane spearheading the attack as expected.

Bayern: Ulreich; Laimer, Upamecano, Kim, Davies; Kimmich (c), Goretzka, Sane, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane.

Bayern bench: Peretz, Schmitt, De Ligt, Coman, Choupo-Moting, Sarr, Muller, Tel, Mazraoui, Kratzig.

United: Onana, Dalot, Lindelof, Martinez, Reguilon; Casemiro, Eriksen; Pellistri, Fernandes (c), Rashford; Hojlund. 

United bench: Bayindir, Heaton, Vitek, Martial, Garnacho, Evans, McTominay, Gore, Mejbri, Forson.

[Sep 20, 2023 at 2:00 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Kane on United interest and Maguire

"Obviously over the summer I know there were some talks between a few clubs in the background, but Bayern was a team I was really interested by and really excited by, so there weren't many other discussions," Bayern's Harry Kane said pregame. "Once they came in, it was between them and Tottenham to talk, and the deal got done. My focus is on here, obviously Manchester United are a great club, a really big club as well, but I decided to come here and I'm really happy I have."

"I think 'H' has come under some really unnecessary scrutiny," Kane added on England teammate Harry Maguire. "Probably been scapegoated a little bit in terms of the way the team has gone over recent times. He is a really good friend of mine, he's a great guy, a really hard working professional."

[Sep 20, 2023 at 1:45 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

How to watch and odds

Date: Wednesday, Sept. 20 | Time: 3 p.m. ET

Location: Allianz Arena -- Munich, Germany

Watch: Paramount+

Odds: Bayern Munich -200; Draw +360; Manchester United +470

[Sep 20, 2023 at 1:30 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Manchester United

After an optimistic first season in charge and a summer transfer window where United spent big to ensure Erik ten Hag made his mark on the roster, little has gone right at Old Trafford. The team has just two wins out of five in the Premier League and has yet to genuinely impress in terms of performances. Combined with a long list of absences through injury, ten Hag's feud with Jadon Sancho, and Antony's leave of absence amid investigations into sexual assault, the mood is notably tense and the pressure is on to correct course.

Ten Hag could count on Marcus Rashfrod and new signing Rasmus Hojlund to lead United to success on Wednesday. Rashford was one of the stars of ten Hag's first year in charge with 17 league goals but has only one so far. Hojlund, meanwhile, has just two games for United under his belt but the 20-year-old is ten Hag's pick to end the team's long search for a true goalscorer. The manager preached patience as the pair build a relationship, but believes their partnership is a promising one.

"How can the two take benefits from each other? They have to know each other," ten Hag said, per the Manchester Evening News. "That process has just started. At the same time, you need results, so it has to go hand-in-hand. We reflect after games and in training. We have seen Rasmus and Rashy together, looking at how they can benefit. Discussions between them on the pitch are ongoing. The connection is already there."

Whether or not ten Hag himself earns patience is a different story. The performance is arguably more important than the result, which puts pressure on ten Hag and company to show they can go toe-to-toe with Bayern. If they cannot, it could only worsen the mood -- and make ten Hag's seat even hotter.

[Sep 20, 2023 at 1:15 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Bayern Munich

The German champions may have missed out on the German Supercup, but otherwise things are so far, so good for Bayern this season. The team is joint-top of the Bundesliga after four games and have scored 11 goals in the process. Four of them come from new striker Harry Kane, who is adjusting nicely on the pitch to life in Munich. He also has familiarity with the opponent after scoring five goals in 19 games against Manchester United during his spell with Tottenham Hotspur and is unwilling to underestimate them despite the rough patch.

"It's going to be a tough game, first and foremost," he told CBS Sports on Sunday. "They're in a little bit of a tricky patch at the moment but sometimes they're the most dangerous team to play against. They're always looking to fight back and get a big result, so we're just focused on playing against a really good team."

Kane admitted that Bayern want to be contenders in every competition they play in, which means eventually eyeing the Champions League title itself. A strong start, he admitted, is crucial to that mission.

"I think with all Champions League groups, you kind of just take it game by game and see where you're at," he said. "We have to start well. You always want to start your group well and get off to a good start and that sets up the rest of the competition."

[Sep 20, 2023 at 1:01 pm ET · Jonathan Johnson]

Welcome

Thank you for joining our coverage of Bayern Munich vs. Manchester United in UEFA Champions League Group A. The German giants welcome the Premier League side to Germany for the opening fixture for both of these clubs with significant European pedigree and it promises to be a spectacle at Allianz Arena. We are here to take you through the build-up as well as the game itself so make yourself comfortable and we will be bringing you team news once it arrives.