Champions League: Toppmöller celebrates dramatic comeback with Lens

Champions League Toppmöller celebrates the first win of his Champions League season, as former Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller with RC Lens, after a turbulent final phase in Prague, turned a 1-2 deficit into a 3-2 comeback and thereby secured the kickoff of the elite competition.

Dramatic Comeback in Prague

Against the underdog Slavia Prague, the French cup winner on the first matchday of the Champions League turned a 1-2 deficit into a 3-2 (0-0) in stoppage time. Despite more than 40‑minute numerical superiority, Lens fell behind twice before Danijel Sturm scored the double for Slavia in the 51st and 88th minutes. Shortly after the first lead, Mikulas Konecny received a red card after his substitution in the 49th minute – the fastest sending‑off after a substitution since 1992. Abdallah Sima equalised in the 73rd minute to 1-1, and Florian Thauvin (90+1) as well as Ruben Aguilar (90+3) secured the win for the French side.

The match was a true roller‑coaster of emotions for Toppmöller and his eleven, who, after two defeats and sitting in tenth place in Ligue 1, already had to endure criticism. Dino Toppmöller's Champions League debut showed that the final phase can be decisive, and confirmed that the former Frankfurt coach can lead his team out of danger.

Manchester United dominates Sabah

Manchester United had no trouble when the underdog Sabah FK was beaten at Old Trafford 4-0 (3-0). Matheus Cunha scored in the 27th minute, Benjamin Sesko in the 45th, Bruno Fernandes in the 42nd and Lisandro Martinez in the 68th minute, so the Red Devils effortlessly displayed the limits after a three‑year drought.

The encounter was a stark contrast to Lens's dramatic game: United showed control from the start and gave the Azerbaijani champions no chance, while Lens only took the upper hand in stoppage time.

The summary can be listened to, noted, shared, gifted, printed or added to the app. When comparing the two events it becomes clear that the Champions League can offer both excitement in the final phase and clear dominance, depending on the match.