Man United Cunha Brace Seals Roma Comeback in Champions League

Manchester United came back from two goals down to beat Roma 3-2 at Old Trafford in the Champions League, with Matheus Cunha scoring twice in the 83rd and 86th minutes after Bruno Fernandes converted a retaken penalty in the 58th, ending a nine-game winless streak, sports.yahoo.com reported.

Roma’s Matías Soulé opened the scoring after 11 minutes and Donyell Malen added a penalty six minutes later, and the home crowd responded by throwing tennis balls onto the pitch and booing their own players. United, who had conceded first in four successive games for the first time since May 2025, according to theanalyst.com, then produced a second-half turnaround that lifted them to 17th in the league-phase standings.

How did Cunha’s late brace turn the match around?

Matheus Cunha scored both of his goals in under three minutes. The first, in the 83rd minute, came after Roma defender Leonardo Balerdi missed an attempted clearance and Cunha turned the ball in from close range. Three minutes later he smashed a tight-angled effort into the top corner past goalkeeper Devis Vásquez. Across the match Cunha had nine touches in the opposition box, the most of any player, and his four shots were worth 0.89 expected goals, plus two chances created for teammates, theanalyst.com reported. His night ended badly, though: he was sent off in the 91st minute for a late tackle on Balerdi shortly after being booked for taking his shirt off, meaning he will miss United’s next European game, a trip to Sporting CP.

WHAT A COMEBACK FROM MANCHESTER UNITED 🤯 It's Matheus Cunha at the double and Old Trafford is rocking 🔴 Stream the #UCL on @paramountplus 📺 pic.twitter.com/8N2rsHQ1q3

— https://x.com/CBSSportsGolazo/status/2117736928715890835

What did the individual stats show about United’s key players?

Substitute Shea Lacey, who came on in the 75th minute, completed all seven of his passes and set up Cunha’s second goal, while also completing two of his three dribbles. Captain Bruno Fernandes created five chances, the most on the field, took the joint-most shots, and earned Man of the Match honors despite scoring only from the penalty spot; it was his first goal from his previous 18 shots across all competitions, and his 44th goal from 50 penalties for the club, theanalyst.com noted. Defensively, 20-year-old Lenny Yoro, playing as an inverted right-back, was not dribbled past a single time while making four interceptions and three clearances.

Why does this result matter for Manchester United right now?

The win ended a 10-match winless run dating back to September 10, when United beat Azerbaijani side Sabah 4-0, and it marked only the fourth time in Champions League history that United have recovered from two goals down to win, level with Real Madrid for the most such comebacks in the competition, according to Opta figures cited by sports.yahoo.com. It was also their first win from two goals down at half-time since October 2021 against Atalanta. United remain 17th in the league-phase table, but head coach Michael Carrick now has a result to build on ahead of a Premier League meeting with Aston Villa before the international break and a rivalry game against Liverpool after it.

Manchester united roma stats — Photo: theanalyst.com

More on Champions League

4 – No team have won more UEFA Champions League games from two or more goals behind than Manchester United (also Real Madrid). Salvation. pic.twitter.com/sclavosZVa

— https://x.com/OptaJoe/status/2117744213811167679

Lifeline for Manchester United 🔴 Bruno Fernandes makes no mistake with the retaken penalty 🎯 Stream the #UCL on @paramountplus 📺 pic.twitter.com/tA6VyvKSzx

— https://x.com/CBSSportsGolazo/status/2117729944176353667

Two goals ⚽️⚽️ Two yellow cards 🟨🟨 It has been quite the game for Matheus Cunha 🟥 Stream the #UCL on @paramountplus 📺 pic.twitter.com/1O66hPoxRl

— https://x.com/CBSSportsGolazo/status/2117738974273822872