UCL Roundup: Usor bags assist as LASK win big, Man United stage stunning comeback

Five-goal thriller at Old Trafford

Nigerian players recorded mixed fortunes in Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League action, with Moses Usor providing an assist for LASK, Victor Osimhen featuring in Galatasaray’s victory and Ademola Lookman suffering defeat with Atlético Madrid.

Usor was instrumental as LASK cruised to a 4-0 home win over Slovan Bratislava, setting up Kasper Jørgensen for the opening goal in the 19th minute.

The Nigerian winger’s contribution helped LASK take control of the contest, with Jørgensen scoring again in the 37th minute to double the hosts’ advantage.

Robert Ljubičić and Samuel Adeniran added further goals to complete the emphatic victory. Usor was substituted in the 75th minute after an influential outing.

At the RAMS Park, Osimhen featured as Galatasaray defeated Stuttgart 2-0 to strengthen their position in the league phase.

Aleksey Batrakov scored twice in the opening 15 minutes to give the Turkish champions a commanding lead. The Nigerian striker also had chances to extend the lead but could not find the net.

While Osimhen celebrated a victory, Lookman endured a disappointing evening as Atlético Madrid lost 2-0 at home to Bayern Munich.

The Nigerian forward came on for Alexander Sørloth in the 59th minute but could not change the outcome of the encounter.

Lennart Karl opened the scoring for Bayern in the 54th minute after capitalising on a defensive error, before Konrad Laimer doubled the visitors’ advantage in the 74th minute.

The biggest drama of the night came at Old Trafford, where Manchester United recovered from a two-goal deficit to beat Roma 3-2.

Roma took an early lead through Matías Soulé in the 11th minute before Donyell Malen converted a penalty to put the visitors 2-0 ahead after 17 minutes.

United responded after the break, with Bruno Fernandes converting a retaken penalty in the 58th minute to reduce the deficit.

Matheus Cunha then struck twice, scoring in the 83rd and 86th minutes to complete a remarkable turnaround and secure a much-needed victory for manager Michael Carrick.

However, Cunha was sent off in stoppage time after receiving a second yellow card.

Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Villarreal 6-0, setting a Champions League record by scoring four goals within the opening 17 minutes.

Barcelona also secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Aston Villa, with Lamine Yamal opening the scoring before Raphinha netted twice in the second half.

Inter Milan defeated Feyenoord 3-0, while Bodø/Glimt and Lille played out a goalless draw.

The results provided another eventful night in the Champions League league phase, with Nigerian players making their contributions across different European clubs.

Tunde Eludini is a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria where he studied International Relations. He is a Senior Correspondent coordinating the sports section for PREMIUM TIMES. Twitter: @tundeyeludini