‘Class on and off the pitch’: Fans fawn over Rashford as he cements legend status
Marcus Rashford scored a second-half hat-trick as Manchester United seized control of their Champions League group with a thumping 5-0 win against German league leaders RB Leipzig on Wednesday.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, who have endured a rocky start to their season, now have six points from two games after building on their impressive opening win against Paris Saint-Germain United took the lead midway through the first half when Marcus Greenwood, 19, received a through ball from Paul Pogba and stroked the ball across Peter Gulacsi and into the far corner.
Substitute Rashford struck three times after coming on in the 63rd minute to remind Solskjaer he is the main man at Old Trafford.
Anthony Martial also got in on the act, scoring a penalty on an outstanding night for the three-time European champions, who are now three points clear at the top of Group H
It was a fitting celebration for Rashford who had seen his petition to the government to provide free school meals to underprivleged children outside of term time pass one million signatures.
And there was an outpouring of emotion for the 22-year-old’s acheivements when he added the third to score his first-ever hat-trick - after initially passing up the opportunity by handing the penalty to Martial so he could score his first goal of the season instead.
KRASNODAR 0-4 CHELSEA
Hakim Ziyech scored on his first start for Chelsea as Frank Lampard’s side powered to a 4-0 victory away to Champions League debutants Krasnodar in Russia on Wednesday.
Jorginho missed a penalty for Chelsea but Callum Hudson-Odoi put the Blues in front before half-time after a mistake by Krasnodar goalkeeper Matvei Safonov.
Timo Werner smashed in a spot-kick on 76 minutes to double Chelsea’s lead, with Moroccan international Ziyech and Christian Pulisic adding late goals.
Chelsea move up to four points at the top of Group E after two matches. Sevilla host Rennes later on Wednesday in the other game in the pool.
JUVENTUS 0-2 BARCELONA
Lionel Messi scored a penalty in Barcelona’s 2-0 win over a Juventus side missing Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League on Thursday morning (AEDT).
Ousmane Dembele gave Barca the lead on 14 minutes in Turin and Messi converted a stoppage-time spot-kick after Ronaldo was left out the Juve squad following his positive test for Covid-19.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND 2-0 ZENIT ST PETERSBERG
Jadon Sancho and Erling Braut Haaland spared Borussia Dortmund’s blushes with late goals on Wednesday, as the German side laboured to a 2-0 victory over Zenit St. Petersburg in the Champions League.
Sancho’s 77th-minute spotkick and a stoppage time strike from Haaland decided an otherwise turgid game in Dortmund’s favour, giving them the first three points of their Group F campaign.
OTHER RESULTS
Istanbul Basaksehir 0-2 PSG
Sevilla 1-0 Rennes
Club Bruges 1-1 Lazio
Ferencvarosi TC 2-2 Dynamo Kyiv
Source: Fox Sports
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