Man Utd continue to get bogged down at Old Trafford; Luzhniki Stadium becomes a nightmare for Real Madrid

Man Utd could not win against Valencia to regain their spirit after disappointing performances. Photo:AFP.

Old Trafford continued to witness a disappointing match for Man Utd when hosting Valencia. Man Utd's most dangerous chance came in the 86th minute when Rashford hit the crossbar from the left wing with a free kick. Before that, Lukaku had clear chances to open the score but both shots missed the target. Pogba created two chances for Lukaku but only played a mediocre role.

Against Valencia, Man Utd could not escape their slow-moving style of play. Meanwhile, the visitors made Man Utd live in fear with their constant counter-attacks. The Spanish team showed a sense of comfort when returning to the Champions League after three seasons.

But against Man Utd, Valencia showed a strong front. Midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia dominated the midfield area, helping the team always be ready to counter-attack. Goncalo Guedes and Michy Batshuayi could have won for Valencia if they had done better with their finishing.

Mourinho's team drew 0-0 with Valencia in the second match of the Champions League group stage on the evening of October 2.

Dybala scores hat-trick, Juventus has best start in history

Without Cristiano Ronaldo due to a one-match suspension, Juventus still dominated the visitors. Paulo Dybala was the highlight of the match with three goals, all scored with one-touch tap-ins from his signature left foot. He is only the fourth Juventus player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League, after Pippo Inzaghi, Alessandro Del Piero and Arturo Vidal.

In the fifth minute, the home team opened the scoring with a beautiful attack. Center-back Leonardo Bonucci kicked the ball from midfield into the penalty area, just in time for Dybala to volley past the opposing goalkeeper. Juventus maintained the initiative and doubled the gap in the 33rd minute. Midfielder Blaise Matuidi shot hard and low, forcing the goalkeeper to push it away, while the home team's strikers broke offside to wait for the rebound. The ball bounced to Dybala's feet and the Argentine star had no difficulty tapping the ball into the net.

Dybala's one-touch tap-in opened the scoring. Photo:EPA.

Dybala hit the post early in the second half, but he was still rewarded with a hat-trick in the 69th minute. After a series of small exchanges in the opposition penalty area, the ball was played out to the open right wing, where Juan Cuadrado crossed for Dybala to seal a 3-0 win.

Real Madrid lost to CSKA Moscow in the Champions League

The Luzhniki Stadium once again became a nightmare for Real as CSKA won 1-0.

The decisive goal came for CSKA in the second minute and came from a rare mistake by Real. After a careless back pass from Toni Kroos, Nikola Vlasic won the ball easily, dribbled past Raphael Varane, and shot with his left foot past Keylor Navas.

Real lost early from a shot by Vlasic, a player on loan to CSKA from Everton. Photo:Reuters

The opening goal also brought excitement and helped CSKA play more sublimely. Not long after that, the home team had two more chances to score. Real were lucky when Chalov's right-footed shot hit Nacho, while Chernov's close-range header went over the bar.

The starting midfield, consisting of Ceballos, Casemiro and Kroos, could only help Real gain more possession of the ball, but was not capable of creating many opportunities for the forward line.

Real's monotonous play continued to struggle against CSKA's crowded defence in the second half. In a game lacking in ideas, the visitors were also unsuccessful with long-range shots. Marco Asensio had a shot from 25 metres cleared by Igor Akinfeev, while Benzema "shot the bird" with a shot from outside the box.

Even when Modric and Mariano were brought on in the 58th minute, Real could not turn the situation around. The defending champions only had the advantage, but could not create clear opportunities.