Harry Kane scores in Bayern win as Manchester United victorious on Champions League return

Manchester United is back to winning ways in the Champions League, Como made itself at home with a debut win, and Harry Kane can't stop scoring.

A 5-0 rout for Bayern and a 4-0 win for United were statement victories against overmatched opponents, while Como's success showed it belongs at Champions League level.

Off the field, it was a less clear-cut situation at Fenerbahce, where coach İsmail Kartal appeared to announce his resignation suddenly after a 1-1 draw with Roma, without fully explaining his motivations, but the club didn't confirm he'd leave.

It's been a big week already in the Champions League for Ballon D'Or nominees. Kane scored once and Michael Olise twice in Bayern's demolition of last season's sensation Bodø/Glimt. The Norwegian team crumbled in the second half after starting goalkeeper Nikita Haikin went off injured at halftime with the score at 0-0.

Kane heading in Bayern's second goal meant the England striker has now scored in eight consecutive Champions League games stretching back to January.

Bayern's opening goal was scored by Jamal Musiala in his first start since on-field seizures caused by a neurological condition which disrupted his preseason. He celebrated by tapping his head.

“The feeling I had today is one I haven't had in a while. I'm happy and I know I still have steps forward to take,” he told broadcaster Prime Video.

United returned to the Champions League with a bang after a nearly three-year absence from the competition.

Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko and Lisandro Martinez all scored in the 4-0 rout of Azerbaijan’s Sabah, which was making its Champions League debut.

It was United’s first game in the Champions League since December 2023.

Cunha fired United ahead at Old Trafford in the 27th. Fernandes and Sesko made it 3-0 by halftime and Martinez scrambled home a fourth after the break. That could help stabilize things for United and coach Michael Carrick after an up-and-down start to the season including a loss to Hull and draw with Everton.

“The result looks comfortable; it wasn’t always like that, but I thought we just did a lot of good things tonight, which gave us a good result,” Carrick told TNT Sports.

Como's oldest fans had the best seats in the house to see their team beat Leipzig 4-1 in the team's first-ever game in the Champions League.

The Italian club's president Mirwan Surwaso and directors gave up prime seats to fans born in 1950 or earlier. Croatian midfielder Martin Baturina scored the first-ever goal for Como in the competition to set the team on course for the win.

The post-game confusion over Fenerbahce's coach ended a game which saw both teams end long absences from the Champions League but neither able to claim a win. A statement on Fenerbahce's website attributed to club president Aziz Yıldırım indicated he expected Kartal to stay in his job.

Roma had missed seven Champions League seasons since reaching the last 16 in 2018-19, while Fenerbahce was last in Europe's top-tier competition in the 2008-09 campaign.

Roma took the lead on Bryan Cristante's low shot from outside the box in the 39th minute. Fenerbahce left back Archie Brown moved into a center forward position and looked like a natural striker as he flicked the ball over the goalkeeper to level the score in the 48th. Nathan Aké headed against the bar late on with a chance to win the game for Fenerbahce.

United States full back Sergiño Dest scored for PSV Eindhoven off a low cross in a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk after Gleiker Mendoza had opened the scoring for the Ukrainian team.

Lens scored twice in stoppage time to win 3-2 at Slavia Prague, which twice took the lead despite having Mikulas Konecny sent off three minutes after he was substituted on for the start of the second half.

AP Sports Writers James Robson and Jerome Pugmire contributed to this report.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Como older fan cheers prior to the start of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Como and Leipzig in Como, Italy, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, Como officials giving up seats to older fans. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Como's supporters cheer during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Como and Leipzig in Como, Italy, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Fenerbahce's head coach Ismail Kartal gives instructions from the side line during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Fenerbahce and Roma in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Manchester United's Patrick Dorgu controls the ball during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Manchester United and Sabah FK in Manchester, England, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Bayern's Harry Kane, third from left bottom, scores his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayern Munich and Bodo Glimt in Munich, Germany, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Lennart Preiss)

PSV's Sergino Dest, right, scores his side's first goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between PSV and Shakhtar in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)

Fenerbahce's Archie Brown, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Fenerbahce and Roma in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Roma's Bryan Cristante, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Fenerbahce and Roma in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Fenerbahce's Archie Brown, centre, challenges for the ball with Roma's Gianluca Mancini, left, and Roma's Devyne Rensch during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Fenerbahce and Roma in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford, foreground, gestures, during a training session at Carrington Training Centre in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick, right, speaks with Jonny Evans during a training session at Carrington Training Centre in Manchester, England, Wednesday, Sept 9, 2026. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

FC Bayern Munich's Harry Kane attends a team training session a day before their group stage Champions League soccer match between Bayern Munich and Bodø/Glimt, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — With more than 95% of the votes counted, New Zealand's election produced no definitive victory for the right or the left on Saturday but the incumbent conservative government hovered on the brink of a wafer-thin majority that could allow it to eke out a precarious return to power.

Christopher Luxon’s National party and its minor party coalition partners, libertarian ACT and populist NZ First, were getting close to the slimmest possible return — by just one seat. It suggested that securing a second term could take lengthy negotiations and would rely on votes counted after election day, which have historically skewed left.

The leftwing bloc, led by the Labour party and Chris Hipkins, appeared to have fallen short of a majority. However, as New Zealand’s Electoral Commission unveiled the counts, it became clear the night would end without certainty about who would form the next government, a process likely to take weeks.

Luxon did not claim victory in a speech to supporters at National's headquarters in Auckland after midnight.

“National is once again the largest party in Parliament and we have a pathway to forming the next government,” Luxon said. “But I have to tell you right now it is too close to call.”

Earlier, at the Labour headquarters in Upper Hutt, outside of Wellington, a smiling Hipkins did not concede defeat.

“Tonight, New Zealand has spoken,” Hipkins told supporters. “It may take us a little bit longer to figure out exactly what it is that you’ve said.”

Still, the unclear outcome was punishing for both National and Labour, the major political parties that have long dominated New Zealand politics. Both got under 30% of the vote, underscoring opinion polls before election day that showed little public enthusiasm for either party.

Voters instead bolstered power for minor parties on the ideological flanks and propelled to office a centrist political newcomer, Qiulae Wong of the Opportunity party, who has pledged a non-partisan and pragmatic agenda that draws from socially liberal, technocratic and pro-environment ideals.

It was too soon to know whether the support of 38-year-old Wong, whose party appeared set to enter Parliament for the first time, would be required for any leader seeking to form a governing majority.

New Zealanders don’t elect prime ministers. Instead they cast two votes, one for their preferred party and one to select a local representative.

Parties must either win a constituency seat, or win 5% of the preferred party vote, to enter Parliament. New entrant parties are rare and Opportunity, on current results, would be the first in more than a decade.

The magnitude of Wong’s success was still undecided, with the count Saturday showing Opportunity had just crossed the 5% threshold, allowing the party seven seats.

Wong has said that if she held the tiebreaker power, she was open to negotiating with either a conservative or a leftwing government and would deal first with whichever major party won the most votes.

The rightwing bloc might not need her, and Luxon has ruled out governing with Opportunity. Analysts say, however, that both major party leaders would likely answer the phone if Wong held the only path to power.

To govern, a coalition of parties must hold more than half of parliament’s seats. The total number of seats is determined by official calculations on election night based on quirks of the country’s vote.

Saturday figures showed there could be a 130-seat Parliament, with 66 seats needed for a majority. However, parties negotiating shared governing arrangements would prefer a more comfortable margin. Results suggested a coalition of National, ACT and NZ First would hold 67 seats, a number that fluctuated as the night continued.

The 67 included 42 for National, 13 for ACT and 12 for NZ First — a drop for National and a gain for the two minor parties. The result will likely cause headaches for Luxon, whose detractors criticized his political inexperience during his tenure in a power-sharing deal with two veteran and canny politicians, David Seymour of ACT and Winston Peters of NZ First.

Both will want greater influence in any coalition on Saturday's results, and Luxon's woes won't end there.

Lawmakers from the conservative parties who spoke to news outlets Saturday night avoided declaring victory. So-called special votes cast by New Zealanders who live abroad or are travelling on election day are counted later, and historically favor the left.

In the past four elections, National lost one or two seats when the special votes were counted, while leftwing parties won between one and three additional seats.

Saturday's emerging results also suggested a shocking exit from parliament for a few of National's most senior figures, including the incumbent government's Finance Minister Nicola Willis, Speaker of the House Gerry Brownlee, Defense and Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, and Attorney-General and Transport Minister Chris Bishop.

Meanwhile, the left bloc, led by Hipkins and Labour, held a combined 56 seats, though numbers there also fluctuated. The environmentally-focused Greens were celebrating a best-ever result of an apparent 16 seats in Parliament, with Labour sitting on 35 and Te Pāti Māori, an Indigenous rights group, securing five.

The disparity between Labour's 35 seats and National's 42 — despite winning similar percentages of the vote — stems from how seat allocations are calculated in New Zealand's electoral system.

Hipkins was seeking a second chance at power after a resounding defeat three years ago, but he hadn't benefited much from Luxon's slumping popularity in pre-election opinion polling.

The results showed minor parties on both the left and right winning more seats than at the 2023 election, which propelled Luxon to power.

Analysts had suggested that economic woes, including inflation, living costs and unemployment — and apathy about the premierships of either Luxon or Hipkins — would see minor parties grow in popularity, granting them greater bargaining power in forming a governing coalition and forcing the major parties to enact more of their agendas.

Voting began on Oct. 26 and ended on Saturday, with nearly 3.8 million people eligible to participate. New Zealand is a South Pacific nation that's home to 5.6 million people.

Results from 95% of ballots cast are expected by the end of Saturday night. A final, verified tally is due on Nov. 27, including the special votes.

After the final count, coalition negotiations between presumptive governing parties often take weeks, even when their majority is clear.

New Zealand Finance Minister, Nicola Willis speaks to the media in Auckland, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov.7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Robertson) Corrects to remove the Deputy Prime Minister title.

Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins addresses party faithful in Upper Hutt, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Tantrum)

New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Nicola Willis speaks to the media in Auckland, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov.7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Robertson)

Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins arrives at party event in Upper Hutt, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Tantrum)

The Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong poses for a portrait outside Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins reacts as he visits a steel framing business while campaigning for election in Paraparaumu, New Zealand, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

People arrive at a voting place on election day in Auckland, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov.7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Robertson)

Election workers prepare ballot papers for voters at a voting place on election day in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

People queue to enter a voting place on election day in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

People walk past a sign outside a voting place on election day in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

A person casts their ballot at a voting place on election day in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

A dog sits outside a voting place on election day in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

A person places their voting papers in a ballot box at a voting place in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

A man enters a voting place in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

A Māori warden reacts as a man leaves a voting place at a marae in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

An election worker hands voting papers to a person at a voting booth in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

People leave a voting place in Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)