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 set a record for most goals scored away from home by any team in the competition’s history, and moved up to fourth place in the table.
The result also tied the record for most goals in a single game, home or away, matching Bayern Munich. The eight-goal winning margin equalled the mark set by Liverpool with an 8-0 win over Besiktas in 2007, and matched by Real Madrid with an 8-0 win over Malmo in 2015.
Tasos Douvikas became just the third Greek international to score a Champions League hat trick. Argentine playmaker Nico Paz was equally influential, providing a pair of assists and scoring a sublime goal 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, who are ninth in Ligue 1 and were the opponents on the night.
Douvikas’s hat trick was the first scored by a Como player in European competition. It is also the club’s first season in any of the Champions, Europa or Conference Leagues.
The nine goals take 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.
Coach Cesc Fabregas, a former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea star, was proud of his side but cautious about the result.
“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,” Fabregas 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 title race
At home in Serie A, Como sit fourth in the table on 23 points after 10 games, five behind leaders Lazio. They face second-placed Inter on Sunday.