Il Nuovo Postiglione - Bayern beat Man Utd in five-goal women's Champions League thriller

Harder, who grew up as a United supporter, opened the scoring inside two minutes after being played in behind the home defence.

In their first ever Champions League quarter-final in the women's game, United refused to be swept away by that early blow.

Captain Maya Le Tissier levelled from the penalty spot after the ball struck Bayern defender Glodis Viggosdottir on the arm.

In front of a sparse crowd at the Theatre of Dreams, the second half took longer to catch fire until three goals in a 13-minute spell in the final quarter.

Harder, who cost a then world record transfer fee when she joined Chelsea in 2020, produced another clinical finish after using her pace to burst in behind.

The lead again lasted only a few minutes before Hanna Lundkvist headed in Le Tissier's corner.

But Bayern did finally hold on to their advantage once Momoko Tanikawa found space to fire into the far corner six minutes from time.

The German giants will be confident of reaching the last four when the sides meet again for the second leg next Wednesday.

However, they face a daunting path if they are to conquer Europe for the first time.

Barcelona will almost certainly lie in wait in the semi-finals after they destroyed Spanish rivals Real Madrid 6-2 away from home in the first leg of their quarter-final.

A.Mariconda--INP