Champions League takeaways: Manchester United in crisis, Real Madrid cruise, Union Berlin snap streak

Matchday 4 of the UEFA Champions League was nothing short of dramatic on Wednesday as results varied for many of Europe’s best sides. The headline-grabbing result of the day is Manchester United’s 4-3 loss at Copenhagen, which saw the team sink to the bottom of Group A. They are a point behind Copenhagen and Galatasaray, while Bayern Munich sits distantly atop the group.

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, meanwhile, maintained their perfect starts in Champions League play and secured passageway to the round of 16, as did Real Sociedad and Inter after their wins. Union Berlin were also eliminated from the competition but did not go out quietly.

Here are three takeaways from a thrilling day of action.

Wednesday’s scores

• Napoli 1, Union Berlin 1
• Real Sociedad 3, Benfica 1
• Arsenal 2, Sevilla 0
• Copenhagen 4, Manchester United 3
• Bayern Munich 2, Galatasaray 1
• Real Madrid 3, Braga 0
• PSV 1, Lens 0
• Red Bull Salzburg 0, Inter 1

United in crisis again

It feels like every time things seem to be on the up at Manchester United, the team’s fortunes come crashing down and Wednesday’s game was no different. Erik ten Hag’s side started in dominant fashion and had a Rasmus Hojlund brace to back up their efforts by the half-hour mark, but then things started to go against them. First, it was the controversial red card to Marcus Rashford that saw them go down to 10 before halftime.

Copenhagen were able to equalize before the break, but United went up 3-2 thanks to a Bruno Fernandes penalty in the 69th minute. They relinquished that lead in the dying minutes of the match with goals from Lukas Lerager and Roony Bardghji, but the funny thing about this game was that despite the red card, United were in a position to actually win this game.

The red card seemed to give Copenhagen momentum but United actually settled into the second half and led the expected goals race throughout the game. They finished the game with 3.03 expected goals while Copenhagen had 2.14, demonstrating that the hosts clearly over performed in that capacity. United were also more clinical in attack, putting eight of their nine shots on target while Copenhagen managed the same number of shots on goal but had 19 total strikes. This match just becomes the latest in a string of poor results that continue to force the question — How do you stop the bleeding at United — and is ten Hag the person who should be entrusted with that task?

No Bellingham, no problem

After starting life in Madrid with 13 goals in 14 games, Jude Bellingham earned some much-deserved rest as Real Madrid took on Braga. After surviving a sixth=minute penalty for the Portuguese side, there was little cause for concern as the Spanish giants cruised to a 3-0 win.

Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior stepped up to the plate and each notched a goal and an assist, and Rodrygo in particular delivered for Los Blancos. He had five shots against Braga, three of which were on target during his 77-minute shift and also was able to get on the scoresheet in style.

It was a team effort for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, though. They were dominant from start to finish in just about every category and were notably efficient up top after being wasteful with their chances early during their Champions League campaign. They had 18 shots and seven on goal and racked up 2.61 expected goals, making it difficult for Braga to overcome their dominance.

Union’s losing streak ends

Union Berlin snapped a 12-game losing streak across all competitions in unlikely fashion — with a draw at Napoli, the reigning Italian champions.

The German side had just 27.1% of the ball but made the match a grind for their opponent. Napoli scored first and had 27 shots but just five were on target and ended the game with 1.75 expected goals. Union were not far off on those attacking statistics, though. They had 15 shots, well short of Napoli’s 27 but had the same number on target and mustered 1.10 expected goals. Their attacking efforts finally paid off in the 52nd minute courtesy of David Fofana.

The game state resembled some of Union’s other games, none of which had gone in their favor. They outshot Napoli on Matchday 3 and did the same with Braga on Matchday 2, as well as beat them both on expected goals. On Matchday 3, Union also limited Napoli to just one shot on target. This is not to argue that the Iron Ones were not unmatched, because they certainly were and did not necessarily deliver a sustainable strategy to advance to the knockouts. In context, though, Union’s first Champions League campaign was not as miserable as the scorelines may have suggested and also delivered the long-awaited end to that losing run.