UCL wrap: Atletico beat United, Bayern held by Vikings as Barcelona win comeback

European football’s heavyweights had a tough night in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday as Manchester United lost to Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich dropped points in Norway and Inter Milan suffered a shock home defeat. Barcelona recovered from an early setback to beat Galatasaray, while Arsenal and Villarreal also picked up important wins.

Atletico made an early statement against Manchester United, scoring in the opening minute before Ademola Lookman sealed a 2-0 win late in the second half. United’s task became more difficult when Leny Yoro was sent off, leaving the visitors with little chance of a comeback.

Bayern Munich had a busier night against Viking Stavanger. The Norwegian side went two goals ahead before Harry Kane put Bayern ahead, but the dismissal of Michael Olis shifted the momentum again. Herman Johan Haugen scored late to give the Vikings a 3-3 tie.

Meanwhile, Inter suffered the biggest shock of the evening. Club Brugge scored four times at San Siro and a Nicol Tresoldi hat-trick helped the Belgian side to a 4-3 victory despite late pressure from the hosts. The result stood out on a night where several of Europe’s established sides had to work hard for points.

Barcelona recovered from the loss to beat Galatasaray 4-1 in Istanbul, while Arsenal scored three times in seven second-half minutes to beat Lille 3-0. Villarreal also came from behind to beat Napoli, with RB Leipzig, Sporting CP and Sabah Baku picking up wins elsewhere.

VIKINGS HOLD BAYERN DESPITE KANE’S DOUBLE

Bayern Munich had to settle for a 3-3 draw after Viking Stavanger produced a spirited performance in Norway. Gianni Stensness scored in the second minute before Peter Christiansen doubled the home side’s advantage in the 38th minute to leave Bayern with an uphill task at half-time.

Harry Kane started the conversion from the penalty spot in the 54th minute and equalized with a header six minutes later. Luis Diaz then put Bayern ahead in the 71st minute, seemingly completing a turnaround that had looked unlikely earlier in the game.

But Michael Olise was sent off in the 74th minute, leaving Bayern to defend their narrow advantage with 10 men. Viking capitalized late on when Herman Johan Haugen scored in the 90th minute to salvage a point.

Kane extended his scoring streak to nine consecutive Champions League games, but the personal milestone offered little consolation after Bayern relinquished their lead in the closing stages.

BARCELONA AND ARSENAL FIND ITS RHYTHM

Barcelona had to recover from an early setback against Galatasaray, who took the lead in the 28th minute through Aleksej Batrakov. Joao Cancelo equalized in the 43rd minute to allow the visitors to go into half-time on level terms.

Fermin Lopez gave Barcelona the lead five minutes after the restart, and Anthony Gordon added another in the 53rd minute. Karim Adeyemi scored in the 65th minute to complete a 4-1 win, giving Barcelona a convincing result after a difficult start.

Arsenal were just as effective against Lille. Jurrien Timber broke the deadlock in the 64th minute, Eberechi Eze doubled the lead three minutes later and Bukayo Saka completed the scoring in the 71st minute. Three goals in seven minutes turned a tense game into a comfortable 3-0 victory for the Premier League side.

CLUB BRUGE STUN INTER AT SAN SIRO

Inter Milan suffered one of the most surprising defeats of the night, losing 4-3 to Club Brugge despite scoring three times at home. The standout player was Nicolo Tresoldi, who scored a hat-trick as the Belgian side repeatedly exposed weaknesses in Inter’s defence.

Tresoldi opened the scoring with a penalty in the 30th minute after Hakan Calhanoglu fouled Carlos Forbes. Lautaro Martinez equalized for Inter before the break, but the hosts were unable to gain control of the game.

Tresoldi restored Brugge’s advantage after a defensive misunderstanding allowed Forbes to play him through and completed his hat-trick in the 74th minute. Romeo Vermant added another in the 87th minute to keep Inter up a steep climb in the closing stages.

Martinez scored again before Ange-Yoan Bonny found the net in stoppage time, but late goals came too late to prevent a 4-3 defeat. Brugge’s clinical finishing proved decisive in a match where Inter’s attacking performance was not enough to compensate for defensive problems.

VILLARREAL COME BACK, LEIPZIG EDGE PSV

Villarreal also bounced back from an early setback to beat Napoli 3-1. Amir Rrahmani put Napoli ahead in the eighth minute but Georges Mikautadze equalized in the 23rd minute before Santiago Mourio struck three minutes later. Tani Oluwaseyi added a third in the 86th minute to seal the win.

RB Leipzig beat PSV Eindhoven 1-0 with a 75th-minute goal from Brajan Gruda. Goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt was also important for Leipzig, saving a penalty from Ivan Perisic.

Sporting CP beat Lens 2-0, Luis Suarez scoring in the 22nd minute and Issa Doumbia adding a second in the 74th minute. Sabah Baku recorded the same scoreline against Slavia Prague thanks to goals from Kaheem Parris in the 49th minute and Joy-Lance Mickels in the 88th minute.

Inter’s defeat and Bayern’s late collapse provided the highlights of the evening, while Atlético took their chances against United. Barcelona and Arsenal, meanwhile, responded well after their opponents threatened to make things difficult.

– The end