Como Crushes Lens 9-1 in Historic Champions League Debut Season
The Italian club became the first away team to score nine goals since the tournament was renamed in 1992, marking a stunning result for a squad that played in the fourth division just seven years ago.
By James Mitchell ·
Como defeated Lens 9-1 on Wednesday night in Rome, becoming the first away team to score nine goals in a single Champions League match since the competition was rebranded in 1992. The result tied the largest margin of victory in the tournament's modern history, a mark previously set by Liverpool and Real Madrid with 8-0 home wins in 2007 and 2015, respectively.
Coach Cesc Fabregas acknowledged the performance but noted the single concession was a moment of individual brilliance. Ruben Aguilar, a former teammate of Fabregas at Monaco, hit a long volley from a corner to make the score 7-1 midway through the second half. Fabregas told Sky Italia that he told Aguilar he had never seen the midfielder score such a goal before, calling it beautiful despite the defensive error.
Tasos Douvikas, a Greek center forward, led the scoring with a hat trick. The tally lifted him to six goals in the Champions League this season, placing him one goal ahead of Erling Haaland and Nicolo Tresoldi in the scoring charts. Douvikas has now scored in all four of Como's matches in the competition this year.
Nico Paz, the Argentine playmaker, provided five assists to lead the tournament, one more than Lamine Yamal. Paz scored the third goal and wore a T-shirt honoring Jesus de Miguel, a Tenerife forward who died after a collision with a goalkeeper. Paz spent his youth years in the Tenerife system from 2014 to 2016.
Other scorers for Como included Lucas Da Cunha, Marc-Oliver Kempf, Mattia Liberali, Martina Baturina, and Matteo Papaccioli. Liberali, aged 19, became the youngest Italian to score in the Champions League since Mario Balotelli in 2009. Papaccioli, an 18-year-old youth team member who has not yet played in Serie A, also found the net in the second half.
The result extends Como's strong start to the season, during which the club has stood fourth in both Serie A and the Champions League. This achievement is remarkable given that Como played in the fourth division of Italian soccer seven years ago. It is the first time in the club's 119-year history that it has qualified for a continental competition.
Lens, the French Cup winner and runner-up to Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 last season, faced a harsh reception in France. The sports daily L'Equipe used the word ridiculous on its front page on Thursday. Como previously beat Manchester United 4-1 two weeks ago and Leipzig 4-1 in its debut match in September.
Como will visit Italian champion Inter Milan at the San Siro on Sunday. Fabregas described the upcoming match as a final sprint before the international break. The team will later face AEK Athens, Real Betis, Paris Saint-Germain, and Barcelona to conclude the league phase.
