Como produced one of the most extraordinary scorelines in Champions League history on Wednesday, beating Lens 9-1 in the league phase. The result set a record for most goals on the road by any team in the competition’s history and moved Como up to fourth place in the table.
The Serie A side, coached by former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea star Fabregas, scored the goals with ease. Tasos Douvikas became just the third Greek international to score a Champions League hat trick. Argentine star Nico Paz was equally influential, providing a pair of assists and a sublime goal of his own to make it 3-0 in the 40th minute.
Lucas Da Cunha, Marc-Oliver Kempf, Mattia Liberali, Martin Baturina and Matteo Papaccioli also found the net for Como. Lens, who sit ninth in Ligue 1, had no answer.
Douvikas’s hat trick was the first by a Como player in European competition. That is hardly a surprise, given that this is the first season the club from the Italian luxury resort town has competed in the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League.
Como’s nine goals matched Bayern Munich’s record for most goals scored in a single game, whether home or away. The tally also took Como’s total across four Champions League matches to 19, one behind the total scored so far by two-time defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.
The eight-goal winning margin was also a competition record. It equalled the mark set by Liverpool with an 8-0 win over Besiktas in 2007, and matched by Real Madrid with an 8-0 victory over Malmo in 2015.
Keeping perspective
Fabregas was quick to temper the celebrations. “It has been a great night for Como, for all our fans, and for many of the young players who are just starting their careers,” he said after the game. “But we have to keep our feet on the ground, stay humble, and keep working hard. This is something we must always learn.”
He added a note of caution about complacency. “We must learn this now so we don’t buy into our own hype or think that the job is already done,” Fabregas said. “We have to learn to say: ‘Okay, it was a good day, let’s move forward and try to keep putting in good performances.'”
Back in Serie A, Como sit fourth on 23 points after 10 games, five behind leaders Lazio. Next up, they face second-placed Inter on Sunday.