Owen Hargreaves couldn't speak highly enough of Kobbie Mainoo ahead of Manchester United's clash with Sabah last night.
The midfielder (unsurprisingly) retained his starting spot for United's Champions League opener and played just over an hour as the Reds cruised to a comfortable win on home soil.
(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Mainoo was eventually replaced by summer signing Andrey Santos in the 64th minute, while Benjamin Sesko simultaneously made way for Joshua Zirkzee for his first appearance of the season.
When United got their Premier League campaign underway last month, the 21-year-old started on the bench for the opening fixture against Hull City.

#mainoo #last #sabah

Unlike many of his players, Michael Carrick has personal experience of the special nights at Old Trafford in the Champions League. This was scarcely one of them, but if Carrick had compiled a list of things he wanted from the evening, this must have ticked nearly every box. A perfect night? "Yeah, I think so," he said.
The fixture list made it a low-key comeback to the Champions League but Carrick was able to rest four players ahead of the Manchester derby, take off five more and chalk up a comfortable win. "Some of the football we played was really good," said Carrick. "We just did a lot of good things." Some players benefited. Matheus Cunha, who was fortunate to avoid a late red card for a studs-up challenge on Erivaldo Almeida, surely needed his first goal of the season. Benjamin Sesko marked his first start of the campaign with a second goal in a week.
Bruno Fernandes was instrumental as United put four past Sabah (Reuters)
In a sense, though, the most meaningful goal came from Bruno Fernandes. The captain was nominated for the Ballon d'Or even after a campaign when United were not in any continental competition. He showed a loyalty to United during their European exile. More than any other player, he dragged them back into the Champions League. It was fitting he scored on their return. Fernandes being Fernandes, it was also typical he was not among the rested or the removed.
Carrick has rarely needed to rotate since he took charge. Given this season's greater workload, this was something of a learning exercise. Patrick Dorgu played left-back for the first time under Carrick, excelled in attack and played a part in the first two goals, but revealed defensive deficiencies. Noussair Mazraoui, brought back in for Diogo Dalot, seemed to have a point to prove and looked lively going forward. A fit-again Mason Mount made a belated first appearance of the campaign in the second half. Andrey Santos, dropped after his ill-fated debut at Hull, got the final half-hour. The youngsters Harry Amass and Shea Lacey appeared for the last 20 minutes.

#league #played

1
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick praised Benjamin Sesko's role in the team as he outlined what sets the striker apart.
Sesko scored United's third of a 4-0 victory over Sabah in the Champions League on Thursday evening.
Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez also got on the scoresheet. After the final whistle, Carrick spoke to reporters and shared his verdict on the game.
Carrick said of Sesko, "Definitely offers a different kind of threat."

#manchester #united #michael

Michael Carrick enjoyed Manchester United's perfect Champions League return against Sabah but is "pushing for more" with tougher tests around the corner.
Thursday night saw Old Trafford host a first match in European football's premier competition since December 2023 as the Red Devils faced a club that were only founded nine years ago.
United ran out comfortable 4-0 victors against Sabah, the champions of Azerbaijan, with Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko scoring first-half goals.
Lisandro Martinez tapped home to complete a blemish-free start to the league phase for Carrick's men, who recorded their first clean sheet of the season having made a topsy-turvy start to the Premier League.
Asked if Thursday was the perfect way to kick off their long-awaited Champions League return, the United head coach said: "Yeah, I think so.

#first #premier #return #start

3
Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes produced a sensational performance to help the team to a 4-0 victory over Sabah FK in their Champions League opener.
Matheus Cunha broke the deadlock for United inside 27 minutes when he supplied a delicate finish to Patrick Dorgu's delivery.
Fernandes doubled United's advantage 15 minutes later, rounding off a brilliant team move, with Youri Tielemans registering the first **** ist of his Old Trafford career. Benjamin Sesko then rounded off the goalkeeper to make it 3-0 just before the break.
Lisandro Martínez pounced on a scramble inside the box to add a fourth in the second half, removing any lingering uncertainty about the outcome.

#inside #minutes

Manchester United welcomed Sabah at Old Trafford earlier tonight as they hoped to secure a good result at home in the UEFA Champions League. The Red Devils made a good start to the game and scored the opener in the 27th minute thanks to Matheus Cunha's effort. Bruno Fernandes doubled his team's lead in the 42nd minute before Benjamin Sesko made it 3-0 to Man United in the 45th minute. Michael Carrick's men went into the half-time break with a comfortable three-goal lead.
Lisandro Martinez added another goal for the Mancunian team in the 68th minute. The match ended with Man United securing a dominant 4-0 win at the Theatre of Dreams.
Let's take a look at how each Manchester United player fared during the clash against Sabah.
GK: Senne Lammens – 7/10
He made one solid save at the back and did enough to keep a clean sheet.

#manchester #good #goal

Man United vs. Sabah live score, stats, highlights from Champions League clash originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
JUMP TO:
Man United vs. Sabah live score
Highlights, key moments
Live full match stats

#live #sabah

Watch highlights from this week's Champions League
Man Utd v Sabah at 20:00 BST
Read the remarkable journey of Sabah's coach
Bayern Munich v Bodo/Glimt, Como v RB Leipzig & Slavia Prague v Lens
England's Archie Brown scores for Fenerbahce against Roma

#champions #bayern

Manchester United return to the Champions League at home and against a debutant in the competition. Will it be enough to celebrate by the end of Thursday?
Without Rashford, Maguire or Zirkzee in the starting eleven, this is how both clubs line up today at Old Trafford.
MANCHESTER UNITED: Lammens, Yoro, Li Martínez, Mazraoui, Dorgu, Tielemans, Mainoo, B. Fernandes, Cunha, Mbeumo, Šeško.
SABAH BAKU: Pokatilov, Dashdamirov, McCarthy, Zedadka, Puchacz, Lepinjica, Rahmonaliev, Nwachukwu, Parris, Simić, Mickels.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

#united #without

How Sabah coach Valdas Dambrauskas went from Lithuanian game show to Champions League history originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
One of the most fascinating stories to come out of the early phases of this year's UEFA Champions League competition involves newly-formed Azerbaijani club Sabah FK and their mercurial coach.
Valdas Dambrauskas has led the young club to not only its first-ever top flight ***** le, but now their first-ever trip to the league phase of any European competition, let alone the Champions League.
Sabah became one of the final league phase qualifiers in the 2026/27 competition as they reversed a 2-1 aggregate deficit to Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the final qualifying round, winning the second leg 5-2 in a stunning comeback. Trailing 4-3 on aggregate heading into stoppage time of the second leg, Tellur Mutallimov scored in the 94th minute to send the match to extra-time, where they would win the game with a pair of goals in the added period.
That sent Sabah to the lucrative league phase, which has changed the trajectory of the club forever.

#coach

Manchester United's rocky start to the season in Michael Carrick's first campaign as permanent manager continues with a first game back in the Champions League.
The visitors at Old Trafford are Azerbaijani champions Sabah, just eight years after being founded.
LIVE! Follow all the action as Man United make their long-awaited Champions League return
Carrick will be desperate for a positive start to the league phase after another setback at Everton, following Ainsley Maitland-Niles's stoppage-time blockbuster.
And after a year outside of European competition, following the agonising Europa League final loss to Tottenham, United will be desperate to start working towards a top eight finish and automatic progress to the last 16.

#league #champions #first #following

Manchester United have announced a multi-million pound, multi-year shirt sleeve sponsorship deal with British financial technology company SumUp.
United had been without a sleeve sponsor since the four-year partnership with DXC Technology came to an end in the summer.
The SumUp branding will be seen for the first time on Thursday, when United return to the Champions League with an Old Trafford encounter with Azerbaijan champions Sabah. It will be worn by the club's men's, women's and academy teams across all competitions.
United also say they will launch a "co-branded payment card" with SumUp, "which will offer fans special offers and rewards when used with official club outlets, as well as businesses across the UK".
The club's chief business officer Marc Armstrong said: "SumUp is a rapidly growing global business and we are delighted to welcome them to Manchester United as our official sleeve partner.

#sleeve #across

Manchester United head into a demanding week with one eye on Sabah and the other on Manchester City, and the injury picture is starting to shift. Michael Carrick has had some encouragement, with Mason Mount back fit and Luke Shaw already returning to the starting line-up against Everton. That matters, because United need bodies, options and a bit of continuity.
The derby is the bigger concern. Sabah may arrive first, but ****** ody at Old Trafford will pretend Sunday is not the priority. As things stand, United are hoping at least one player can be back in contention for that game, while others remain on slower timelines.
Marcus Rashford looked sharp against Everton and caused problems throughout his 70 minutes, particularly with his direct running and willingness to attack ****** e. So when he came off, it raised eyebrows. Carrick later explained the change, saying: "Yeah, he was feeling a bit of something."
That does not automatically mean a lay-off, but it does put his immediate availability under scrutiny. With Sabah up next, United may decide not to take risks if there is any doubt at all. The working ****** umption is that Rashford should be available soon, and the home game against Sabah on September 10 is currently viewed as the earliest realistic return point if caution wins out.
Photo: IMAGO

#carrick #everton #rashford #city

1
Manchester United will take on Sabah on Thursday night as they welcome the Champions League back to Old Trafford for the first time since 2023.
The Red Devils have never played against the club before, as the Azerbaijan side was only formed in 2017.
Here are three plot lines to get the blood racing ahead of United's return to Europe's premier competition.
The Red Devils have never played against a team from Azerbaijan before, making this a historic tie.

#champions

Barcelona now know the road they must go through in the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase, with Hansi Flick's side beginning their European campaign at home before facing a potentially decisive trip to Paris shortly before the first Clasico of the season.
The Blaugrana will open their Champions League campaign against Feyenoord at Spotify Camp Nou on Wednesday, September 9, with kick-off scheduled for 6.45 pm.
Barcelona had already learned the eight opponents they will face in the competition, but UEFA has now confirmed the order of fixtures and dates, giving Flick and his players a clearer picture of the challenges ahead.
The Catalan side will play Manchester City, Aston Villa, Feyenoord and Como at home, while PSG, Sporting CP, Galatasaray and Sabah FK await away from Barcelona.
The standout fixture from Barcelona's Champions League schedule is undoubtedly the away match against Paris Saint-Germain.

#side

This is the ultimate underdog of the 2026-2027 Champions League: Sabah Football Club, an Azerbaijani club founded in 2017, will play in the greatest competition of all for the very first time in its history.
The team is coached by Lithuanian manager Valdas Dambrauskas... and a completely crazy episode from his past has resurfaced in recent hours following his team's qualification.
In 2000, 26 years ago, while still a student, Dambrauskas took part in the Lithuanian version of the famous TV show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
From "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" to the Champions League...
Clear, simple, precise.

#champions

"These are exciting matches that we can look forward to. With Inter Milan, Villarreal CF, and Bodø/Glimt, we'll be facing three familiar opponents from last season, while at the same time, AEK Athens and Sabah FK – two teams we've never played before – are waiting for us. That's certainly exciting, especially since we still have a score to settle with Inter and Bodø from last year. Our minimum goal is to reach the Round of 16 – ideally, we'll achieve that within these eight games."
Ole Book: "We're looking forward to eight very interesting and athletically challenging matches. With **** nal and Inter Milan, we'll be facing the English and Italian champions. We'll show that we don't have to shy away from even the best teams in Europe."
Niko Kovac: "Exciting matches await us, and we'll take every opponent very seriously. We performed very well in London during our preseason preparations, and now we want to confirm that under competitive conditions. We're now eager to see how the games will be scheduled. I can **** ure you: We'll be ready for the opener."

#Inter #forward

Everything was on the line at the draw in Monaco. The four home and four away opponents for the 2026–27 season have now been determined. UEFA will announce the exact dates of the matches by Saturday. Today, Thursday, former star strikers Thierry Henry and David Villa began by drawing the opponents for all 36 participating teams.
BVB already faced three of its eight opponents last year: At SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, BVB will once again take on Inter Milan and Villarreal CF—and these two matchups cannot be repeated next year—and will also face FK Bodø/Glimt from Norway again, though this time on the road. The other home opponents are Real Betis from Seville and AEK Athens—both of which will be first-time opponents! Away from home, Borussia will face Bodø/Glimt, as well as ******* nal, Aston Villa, and Sabah FK in Azerbaijan.
Inter MilanThe 21-time Italian champions have reached the Champions League final twice in the past four seasons. Inter has won the trophy three times (most recently in 2010), but suffered a surprising defeat last season in the Round of 16 against Bodø/Glimt—a team that shocked more than just BVB. BVB lost the head-to-head match against Inter 0–2. There will be a reunion with Manuel Akanji and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Real BetisReal Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis for short or simply Betis—that's the name of Spain's 1935 champion and three-time cup winner. Their greatest international achievement was reaching the final of the 2025 UEFA Conference League. Former Borussia player Marc Bartra (pictured) played a key role in helping the team finish fifth in La Liga last season, thereby qualifying for the Champions League for the second time in the club's history. BVB has not yet faced Betis in a head-to-head match.
FC VillarrealThe second Spanish opponent—which finished third last year—comes from Pot 3, even though it made a splash internationally by winning the 2021 UEFA Europa League and reaching the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League the following year. In last season's league campaign, however, "the Yellow Submarine" finished in 35th place with just one point earned. At SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, BVB won 4-0.

#time #champions #year

BVB was placed in Pot 2 during the draw held this Thursday evening in Monaco; the team will face three repeat matchups and has two challenging away trips ahead. BVB will play each of these eight opponents only once—for a total of four home games and four away games.
At SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, BVB will face Inter and Villarreal in their current home jerseys, just as they did last year, as well as Real Betis and AEK Athens. The away trips will take them to London (Arsenal), Birmingham (Aston Villa), northern Norway (Bodø/Glimt), and Baku in Azerbaijan (Sabah FK).
The match dates have not yet been set. UEFA plans to announce them by Saturday at the latest.
Reactions to the draw, background on the format, and details about the opponents will follow later this evening. Tickets for the first home game will be available starting September 1 (12:00) in the online ticket shop. Advance sales will begin first for club members. Boris Rupert

#home #evening #face #four

European champions Paris St-Germain will face Premier League duo Manchester City and Aston Villa as well as five-time winners Barcelona in the league phase of this season's Champions League.
The back-to-back Champions League winners will welcome Barca to Parc des Princes, while they were also handed trips to Villa Park and Manchester in the draw for the league phase.
Premier League champions ******* nal, meanwhile, will host 15-time winners Real Madrid at Emirates Stadium, and have also been handed a trip to Bayern Munich.
Mikel Arteta's men, who were beaten by PSG on penalties in the final last season, will face Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis, Lille, Napoli, Azerbaijan champions Sabah and Slavia Prague as well.
Enzo Maresca's City will welcome PSG to Etihad Stadium and travel to Barcelona, where they will have a reunion with Spanish World Cup-winner Rodri, who moved to the Nou Camp in a £65m deal this summer.

#champions #premier #city #real

Arsenal will face Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the league phase of the 2026/27 Champions League.
Mikel Arteta's side have been handed one of the toughest schedules of the five Premier League representatives, with Real Madrid visiting the Emirates Stadium and ****** nal travelling to Bayern Munich.
Arsenal will also host Borussia Dortmund, Lille and Sabah, while travelling to Real Betis, Napoli and Slavia Prague.
Aston Villa face a similarly demanding campaign on their return to the Champions League, with Unai Emery's side travelling to Barcelona and hosting holders Paris Saint-Germain.
Villa will also take on Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, Viking and Slavia Prague.

#arsenal #real #dortmund

Arsenal are set to play the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the Champions League's first phase this season, as the Gunners aim to bounce back from their final heartbreak.
In May, ***** nal lost the Champions League final to Paris Saint-Germain after coming up short in a penalty shootout, meaning their wait for a first trophy in the competition goes on.
As they bid to reach a second consecutive final – and third overall – the reigning Premier League winners will this season take on Real Madrid and their Spanish colleagues Real Betis, as well as German duo Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.
Martin Odegaard (left) and Mikel Merino react to their defeat in the 25/26 Champions League final (Getty)
Furthermore, the north London club will face Italy's Napoli, French side Lille, Czech Republic's Slavia Prague, and Azerbaijani debutants Sabah.

#real #madrid

The final teams to qualify for the 2026/27 Champions League league phase were confirmed this Wednesday (26).
Seven clubs secured their spots this week after coming through the final playoff round.
The biggest clash was between Fenerbahce and Lyon, with the Turkish side coming out on top and returning to the main phase of the Champions League for the first time in 18 years.
Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia), AEK Athens (Greece), LASK (Austria), Sabah (Azerbaijan), Bodo/Glimt (Norway) and Viking (Norway) also qualified this week.
The league phase draw takes place this Thursday (27), determining the eight matchups for each participating team.

#norway #coming

(Removes repetitive bullet)
BEIJING, Aug 24 (Reuters) - China's Foreign Minister **** Yi said on ‌Monday the situation in the Middle East ‌and Gulf region had again reached a critical juncture and urged parties involved to return to dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible.
Wang made the remarks in a meeting with Foreign Minister ‌of Kuwait ⁠Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in Beijing, according to a Chinese foreign ⁠ministry statement.
• **** said "the old script of recurring conflict should not be repeated" and the top priority is to de-escalate the situation.
• He said ‌China was willing to strengthen coordination with Kuwait and continue contributing to the restoration of peace and stability in the region.

#minister #removes

Celtic have been drawn against Austrian champions LASK in the Champions League play-off round.
Meanwhile, Rangers will face either Larne or Iberia Tbilisi of Georgia in the Europa League play-offs should they defeat Jagiellonia Bialystok of Poland.
And Heart of Midlothian will take on either AGF Aarhus of Denmark or Sabah of Azerbaijan should they defeat Benfica.
Should they lose, the Edinburgh side will face Paide Linnameeskond of Estonia or Rapid Vienna of Austria.
If Rangers lose, they will face Jablonec of Czech Republic or RFS of Latvia.

#champions #either

Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian, Motherwell and Rangers now have a clearer idea of who they might face in Europa League and Conference League qualifying after Uefa confirmed the groupings for Monday's draws.
Celtic already knew their potential opponents in their Champions League play-off, with their draw at 11:00 BST and the Europa League draw an hour later, followed by the Conference League at 13:00.
Now Rangers know that, if they defeat Polish side Jagiellonia Białystok in the third round of Europa League qualifying, they will face either Lillestrom of Norway, the winners of the tie between Northern Irish champions Larne and Iberia 1999 of Georgia, or the losers of two Champions League qualifiers - between Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) and Kairat Almaty (Kazakhstan) or Mjallby (Sweden) and Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia).
Having dropped down from Champions League qualifying, Hearts face Benfica and the winners of that also have four possible opponents.
Those are OFI Crete, the winners of Thun (Switzerland) and Vikingur Reykjavik (Iceland), or the losers of two Champions League qualifiers - AGF Aarhus (Denmark) and Sabah (Azerbaijan) and Dinamo (Croatia) and Kauno Zalgiris (Lithuania).

#league #rangers

The 22-year-old had emerged as a player of interest for the Scottish champions earlier this year, with reports in May claiming Celtic had outlined their plans in an attempt to persuade him to make the move to Glasgow.
Italian side Sampdoria were also credited with an interest, although Basel ultimately won the race after stepping up their pursuit in recent weeks.
According to reports, the Swiss club have agreed a fee of around €3 million with Azerbaijani side Sabah FK to secure the signature of the wideman.
Basel officially confirmed Malouda's arrival this week as they continue reshaping their squad ahead of the new campaign.
He arrives as the replacement for Benie Traore, who recently departed for Major League Soccer after joining New York City FC.

#interest #side #celtic

The New Saints head coach Craig Harrison says there is still all to play for in the Champions League despite their 2-0 first leg defeat to Sabah.
Saints were undone by two second half goals by the champions of Azerbaijan in the away leg of their first qualifying round in Baku.
But Harrison believes his side can overturn that deficit in the second leg at Park Hall next Tuesday.
"We are well and truly in the tie and we look forward to bringing Sabah back to Park Hall," Harrison said.
Welsh clubs ready for Conference League ties

Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images
Besiktas are reportedly ready to offer Leandro Trossard a salary worth €9million a year as they try to complete a deal for the ****** nal forward.
The Turkish club have already agreed a transfer fee with ****** nal, according to Adam Leventhal and James McNicholas of The Athletic, who reported: “Besiktas have agreed a €20million (£17.1m) deal with ****** nal to sign Leandro Trossard.”
That deal is understood to be worth €18m plus €2m in add-ons, but at the time of The Athletic’s report personal terms had not been agreed with Trossard.
Turkish outlet Sabah are now reporting that Besiktas are prepared to offer the 31-year-old left winger €9m a year, with the transfer expected to be completed quickly if a compromise can be reached on financial issues.

Malaysian scientists have discovered a new species of parasitic fungus that preys on "zombie fungus" known to infect insects before subjecting them to a gruesome death.
The new species was found in the jungles on Malaysia's part of Borneo, a large island known for its biodiverse rainforests. Samples were collected during multiple field trips conducted by the University of Malaysia Sabah's Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, and the research was published in the New Zealand Journal of Botany.
It was dubbed a "hyperparasite" because it "effectively parasitizes the primary pathogen," the institute's Deputy Director Jaya Seelan Sathiya Seelan told AFP on Friday.
"The fungus belongs to the genus Pleurocordyceps and acts as a specialized hyperparasite," Seelan said.
The new species targets ants already infected by Ophiocordyceps, or "zombie fungus," which manipulates the infected insect's nervous system and makes it behave erratically before killing it and bursting from its carcass.