UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Round-Up: Manchester United, Sevilla on brink of group-stage exit

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Manchester United’s UEFA Champions League 2023/24 hopes are hanging by a thread after Erik ten Hag’s men imploded in a chaotic, thrill-a-minute 3-3 draw on an ear-splitting night at Galatasaray. Things went south for out-of-form as well for Sevilla, who lost to PSV Eindhoven 2-3 after taking a two-goal lead in front of home fans.

Both European giants are now dead last in their respective groups with Manchester United at four points in five games behind Bayern Munich (13 points), Kobenhavn FC (5) and Galatasaray (5) in Group A. Sevilla (2) are behind Arsenal (12), PSV (8) and RC Lens (5) in Group B.

Manchester United could have been ousted from UEFA Champions League 2023/24 on the night if Kobahaven defeated Bayern Munich on the night. However, a two sides played a 0-0 draw in Copenhagen.

In other group matches, played on Wednesday night (November 29), Real Madrid topped Group C (15 points) with a 4-2 win over Napoli in Madrid as Jude Bellingham found the net once again. Arsenal thrashed RC Lens 6-0 at home to go top of Group B.

Group D remains a two-horse race for the top spot as Real Sociedad were held for a 0-0 draw at home by struggling Salzburg while Inter Milan rallied to a 3-3 draw against Benfica in Lisbon after a hat-trick by their former striker Joao Mario.

As far as Manchester United are concerned, this was a wild, helter-skelter encounter befitting of a Champions League campaign punctuated by goals, madness and mistakes. A rocking Rams Park witnessed a dream United start to a breathless match, with Alejandro Garnacho completing a fine team move before Bruno Fernandes rocketed the visitors further ahead in the 18th minute.

Hakim Ziyech’s free-kick all too easily beat Andre Onana to give Galatasaray hope, which Scott McTominay appeared to extinguish when scoring in the 55th minute. But United, not for the first time in Group A, unravelled as Onana’s howler allowed Ziyech to score another free-kick before substitute Kerem Akturkoglu levelled with a scorcher.

Fernandes hit the post from distance and Facundo Pellistri somehow failed to score as the visitors laid siege to Galatasaray’s goal, with the draw leaving them bottom of Group A and facing an early Champions League exit.

-With inputs from Stats Perform