Como produced one of the most remarkable performances in Champions League history on Wednesday, recording a stunning 9-1 victory over Lens to strengthen their position among the competition’s leading teams.
Cesc Fabregas’ side dominated the French club to secure the biggest away victory in Champions League history, matching the competition’s record winning margin.
The result also marked another emphatic statement from a team competing in European football’s elite competition for the first time.
The Italian side have now moved into fourth place in the Champions League standings with nine points, behind only Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Arsenal.
Their latest triumph follows a 4-1 victory over Manchester United two weeks earlier, alongside convincing performances against RB Leipzig.
Douvikas Leads Como’s Goal Rush
Como established control of the match before half-time, heading into the break with a commanding 3-0 advantage.
Anastasios Douvikas scored twice during the opening period, while Nico Paz added the third goal.
The Argentine midfielder marked his contribution with an emotional tribute to Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel, who died on Tuesday following a serious on-field collision.
Como intensified their attacking pressure after the restart, scoring five goals in a devastating 22-minute spell that effectively ended Lens’ hopes of recovering.
Douvikas completed his hat-trick during the second-half assault, while Lucas Da Cunha, Marc-Oliver Kempf, Mattia Liberali and Martina Baturina also found the net.
Ruben Aguilar scored a consolation goal for Lens before substitute Matteo Papaccioli completed the scoring in stoppage time.
The 18-year-old Papaccioli is part of Como’s youth setup and is yet to make his Serie A debut.
Nico Paz Pays Tribute to De Miguel
Paz’s goal celebration provided one of the night’s most emotional moments.
The midfielder held up a shirt bearing De Miguel’s photograph alongside the words ‘Rest in peace’ in memory of the Tenerife forward.
Although Paz represents Argentina internationally, he was born in Tenerife and spent time in the Spanish club’s youth system between 2014 and 2016.
De Miguel died on Tuesday morning, less than 24 hours after sustaining serious injuries during Tenerife’s Spanish second-division encounter against Andorra on Monday.
The striker had collided with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono, suffering severe head and chest injuries before subsequently experiencing a cardiac arrest.
Como Set New European Football Records
The nine-goal performance placed Como among a select group of teams to have achieved such a scoreline in Europe’s premier club competition.
They became only the second team to score nine goals in a Champions League match, following Bayern Munich’s achievement.
The result also matched the eight-goal winning margins previously recorded by Liverpool and Real Madrid in their respective 8-0 victories over Besiktas and Malmo.
Furthermore, Como became the first Italian team to score at least seven goals away from home in European Cup or Champions League history.
Their 9-1 victory was also the first time a team had scored nine goals away from home in the European Cup since Feyenoord defeated Olympiacos Nicosia by the same scoreline in 1971.
Bayern Munich previously held the record for the biggest away victory in the Champions League era with an 8-2 win over Barcelona at a neutral venue in Lisbon in 2020.
However, the wider European Cup record for the most goals scored by one team in a single match remains with Feyenoord, who defeated Icelandic side KR 12-2 in September 1969.
Como’s Remarkable Rise Since 2019
The club’s transformation began in 2019 when Indonesian billionaire brothers Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono acquired Como for $850,000 (£644,427) through their Djarum Group.
The brothers, whose wealth originated largely from the tobacco industry, had a combined estimated net worth of $48 billion (£36.4 billion) at the time.
Their acquisition immediately made Como the richest club in Italian football.
Rather than relying exclusively on expensive transfers to accelerate their progress, the new ownership focused on developing the club’s infrastructure, strengthening recruitment and establishing a recognisable footballing philosophy.
The investment has helped transform Como from a third-tier outfit six seasons ago into a team competing among Europe’s biggest clubs.
Their progress has continued under Fabregas, with the club spending approximately £58 million on nine permanent signings and loan arrivals during the summer transfer window.
Fabregas Celebrates Another Major Victory
The victory over Lens extended Como’s winning run to six consecutive matches across competitions.
Despite their impressive European form, they remain fourth in Serie A, five points behind leaders Lazio.
Douvikas has also emerged as one of the competition’s leading attacking players.
His hat-trick against Lens took his Champions League tally above Erling Haaland’s, making him the tournament’s leading scorer.
Speaking after the match, Fabregas expressed his satisfaction with the result and the performance of his players.
“Today everything went our way,” the Como manager said.
“A great night for Como and our fans.”
Lens Suffer Their Heaviest European Defeat
The defeat represented a difficult night for Lens, who conceded nine goals on home soil.
The French side’s result was the heaviest defeat suffered by a French club in the competition’s history.
Lens now occupy 33rd position in the Champions League standings with three points, while Como’s victory has lifted them into fourth place with nine points.
