MATCH IN A SENTENCE: Manchester United fell behind for the eighth time this season through a pair of Alan goals, but a Javier Hernandez brace and an awkward finish from Jonny Evans turned the deficit into a 3-2 win for United, who now sit atop Group H with a 100 per cent record from three matches.
KEY MOMENT: Old Trafford released a collective groan when Alan weaseled his way between Evans and Michael Carrick to score the opener after just two minutes, and a stunning strike from the Brazilian 18 minutes later put visiting Braga 2-0 to the good at the home of the 19-time English champions.
But there was still a lot of football to be played, and Hernandez was in the middle of it when it counted most. With a quarter-hour remaining on the clock he snuck into the goalmouth just in time to power Tom Cleverley's pin-point cross into the back of the net with his nead.
Hernandez had instigated the United fightback in the 25th minute when he headed Shinji Kagawa's lofted pass beyond Beto after the referee allowed United to play the advantage following a tough tackle on Robin van Persie.
FROM HERE: United lead second-place Cluj by five points in the bracket and will almost certainly turn out for the first knockout round in February. Next up for them is a top-of-the-table Premier League clash against Chelsea on Sunday, and they'll also visit the Blues on October 31 in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup. Their next Champions League match will be away to Braga on November 7.
Braga, currently third in both Group H and the Primeira Liga, will visit Maritimo and host Gil Vicente before welcoming United to Estadio Municipal.
DIFFERENCE MAKER: Javier Hernandez. He hasn't started much for United this season, but he made the most of his opportunity on Wednesday with a pair of goals that will go a long way toward putting the Red Devils into the last 16—a stage they failed to reach last season.
Courtesy of ScoreMobile (http://m.thescore.com/scoremobile)
Sent by Maxis from my BlackBerry® smartphone
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