Como produced one of the most extraordinary results in Champions League history on Wednesday, thrashing Lens 9-1 in the league phase. The Serie A side, coached by former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea star Cesc Fabregas, set a record for most goals scored on the road by any team in the competition’s history and moved up to fourth place in the table.
Even for a free-scoring side like Como, the way the goals kept coming was hard to believe.
Douvikas and Paz lead the way
Tasos Douvikas became just the third Greek international to score a Champions League hat trick. Nico Paz, the Argentine star, pulled the strings with two assists and added 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.
The hat trick was the first by a Como player in European competition. That is no surprise, as this is the first season the club from Italy’s luxury resort town has ever played in the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League.
Records tumble
Como’s nine goals tie the record for most scored in a single game, home or away, held by Bayern Munich. The side’s total of 19 goals across four Champions League games leaves them just one behind the Paris Saint-Germain tally so far, with the two-time defending champions having scored 20.
The eight-goal winning margin also set a new mark. It ties the records held by Liverpool, who beat Besiktas 8-0 in 2007, and Real Madrid, who matched the scoreline with an 8-0 win over Malmo in 2015.
Fabregas urges his players to stay grounded
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: “We must learn this now so we don’t buy into our own hype or think that the job is already done. We have to learn to say: ‘Okay, it was a good day, let’s move forward and try to keep putting in good performances.'”
Serie A push continues
Domestically, Como are fourth in Serie A with 23 points from 10 games, five behind leaders Lazio. They face second-placed Inter on Sunday, a test that will show whether this European form can carry over into the league.