Manchester United has staged a stunning comeback to recover from its worst start to a European home game by beating Roma 3-2 in the UEFA Champions League.
Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain set a new record as the fastest team to score four goals in European soccer’s top competition by powering into a 4-0 lead after 17 minutes against Villarreal on its way to a 6-0 win.Â
In other major results, Barcelona beat Aston Villa 3-0 and Bayern Munich won 2-0 at Atletico Madrid.
But the biggest drama of the night came at Old Trafford, where United’s troubled season looked set to plunge deeper into crisis after going 2-0 down after 17 minutes against Roma.
It was the fastest United had conceded twice in any European game at its iconic stadium.Â
But a rousing second-half performance saw Bruno Fernandes convert a retaken penalty and Matheus Cunha score twice before being sent off to seal a much-needed win for under-fire coach Michael Carrick.
The joyous scenes at the end were in stark contrast to earlier, when furious United fans attempted to disrupt the match by throwing tennis balls on to the field.
The pre-planned protest was the latest show of dissent from supporters who have long called for the club’s American owners, the Glazer family, to sell their controlling stake.
A small number of balls were thrown in the 21st minute to mark 21 years since the Glazers staged a leveraged buyout of the storied club.
By then, Roma had already raced to a 2-0 lead through Matias Soule’s 11th-minute strike and Donyell Malen’s penalty.
It could have been worse by the break, with Roma having more chances to extend the lead.Â
But the game was turned on its head after half-time, with Fernandes’s twice-taken penalty giving the home fans hope and then Cunha sealing the comeback with goals in the 83rd and 86th.
AP
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