Como matched the Champions League record for goals in a single match with a remarkable 9-1 victory away to Lens.
The Italian club equalled Bayern Munich’s 2024 tally against Dinamo Zagreb as Cesc Fabregas’ side continued an outstanding European debut, moving up to fourth in the league phase table.
Como had already beaten RB Leipzig and Manchester United, while suffering a narrow defeat by Feyenoord. Their win in France was their most emphatic result yet.
“What they are doing is so impressive, considering this is their first time in Europe,” former Manchester City player Nedum Onuoha told BBC Sport.
“Two seasons later and probably, along with PSG and Barcelona, they are the three most exciting teams in the Champions League.”
Como’s result was the biggest away win in Champions League history. They became only the third team since the competition began to win by an eight-goal margin, joining Liverpool and Real Madrid, who recorded 8-0 home wins against Besiktas and Malmo respectively.
They are also the first side to score nine goals away from home in a European Cup match since Feyenoord won 9-0 at Olympiakos Nicosia in September 1971.
Feyenoord still hold the overall European Cup record, having defeated Icelandic club KR 12-2 in September 1969. Como’s nine goals also gave them 19 in their first four European matches, a total matched only by Queen’s Park Rangers in the 1976-77 Uefa Cup.
Como’s rapid rise
Como were still playing in Serie D, Italy’s fourth tier, in 2018-19. Their fortunes changed dramatically after London-based media company Sent Entertainment, owned by Indonesian billionaires Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono, took over.
The brothers had originally planned a television project showing matches involving young Indonesian players in Indonesia.
“Somehow the team got promoted, we had to go professional, and the plan had to be scrapped,” chief executive Mirwan Suwarso told Piers Morgan’s Football Uncensored Podcast in October.
Stephen Warnock, the former Liverpool full-back, said Como’s progress could not be explained by ownership alone.
“You have got to buy the right players to fit the right system and Fabregas has gone for young players as well, who are hungry but also can keep progressing and keep improving,” he told BBC Sport.
Nine-goal night
Tasos Douvikas opened the scoring from close range in the seventh minute and added a second later in the match. Nico Paz made it 3-0 five minutes before half-time and revealed a T-shirt honouring Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel, who died after suffering a serious injury in an on-pitch collision.
Lucas da Cunha, Como’s captain, scored the fourth less than two minutes into the second half, before Marc-Oliver Kempf headed in the fifth.
Paz then set up Douvikas to complete his hat-trick, and substitute Mattia Liberali made it 7-0 after 62 minutes.
Lens briefly responded through Ruben Aguilar’s volley from a corner, but Martin Baturina restored Como’s seven-goal advantage with more than 20 minutes remaining.
Eighteen-year-old substitute Matteo Papaccioli scored the ninth in stoppage time. The goal was initially disallowed for offside, but VAR confirmed his perfectly timed run and completed a historic night for Como.
