Como, playing the first European season in the club’s history, beat Lens 9-1 at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in northern France on Wednesday, Nov. 4, the biggest away win the UEFA Champions League has ever seen. The Como Lens 9-1 result also tied the competition’s record for the largest margin of victory and its record for most goals by one team in a game, according to UEFA.
The Serie A side, coached by former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fàbregas, led 3-0 at halftime and scored six more after the break in front of 37,417 fans. Greek striker Tasos Douvikas scored a hat trick, and Argentine playmaker Nico Paz added a goal and two assists before he was substituted in the 58th minute.
How Como scored 9 goals at Lens
Douvikas opened the scoring in the seventh minute, finishing from close range after a corner, and doubled the lead in the 32nd minute from an Álex Valle pass. Paz made it 3-0 in the 40th minute with a left-footed shot from the right side of the box, set up by Douvikas, according to ESPN’s match log.
The second half turned into a procession. Lucas da Cunha scored two minutes after the restart, defender Marc-Oliver Kempf headed in a corner in the 53rd minute and Douvikas completed his hat trick in the 57th. Substitute Mattia Liberali made it 7-0 in the 62nd minute. Ruben Aguilar’s volley from a Florian Thauvin cross gave Lens a consolation goal in the 65th minute, but Martin Baturina answered four minutes later.
The ninth goal came in stoppage time from 18-year-old Matteo Papaccioli, who was first flagged offside before a video review showed he had timed his run correctly, the BBC reported. Liberali assisted on two of the last three goals.
“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,” Fàbregas said after the game, according to ESPN. “But we have to keep our feet on the ground, stay humble, and keep working hard.”
What the data shows: a record night in the Champions League
Only three teams have ever won a Champions League game by eight goals. Liverpool beat Besiktas 8-0 at Anfield on Nov. 6, 2007, and Real Madrid beat Malmo 8-0 in Madrid on Dec. 8, 2015, UEFA’s records show. Both of those wins came at home; Como’s is the only one on the road. The previous high for goals in a game, nine, belonged to Bayern Munich, who beat Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 on Sept. 17, 2024. The Associated Press reported that Como are the first away team to score nine in a Champions League match.
The match stats were nearly as lopsided as the score. Como put 12 of their 18 shots on target, two-thirds of their attempts, while Lens managed three on target from 11 shots, ESPN’s box score shows. Como held 57.3% of possession and completed 591 of 646 passes, about 91%, compared with 410 of 471 for Lens, about 87% (TBR calculations from ESPN data). Como scored on nine of their 12 shots on target, or 75%.
The rout capped a fast start to Como’s debut campaign. They beat RB Leipzig 4-1 and Manchester United 4-1 at home and lost only once, 3-2 at Feyenoord. That gives them 19 goals in four games, an average of 4.75 per game and one fewer than the 20 scored by two-time defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, ESPN noted. PSG’s total got a big boost on Tuesday when they routed Villarreal 6-0 to stay perfect. According to the BBC, no team has scored more than 19 goals in its first four games in European competition; Queens Park Rangers matched that total in the 1976-77 UEFA Cup.
Champions League table after Matchday 4
The win lifted Como to fourth place in the 36-team league phase with nine points from a 3-0-1 record and a goal difference of plus-13, second only to PSG’s plus-15. PSG and Real Madrid lead with 12 points each after Madrid won 3-2 at AEK Athens on Wednesday, and Arsenal are third with 10 after a 2-1 win at Slavia Prague. Lens fell to 33rd with three points and a minus-12 goal difference.
It was a wild night elsewhere, too. Earlier on Wednesday, Fenerbahçe came from behind twice to beat Liverpool 3-2 in Istanbul, and Porto beat Napoli 4-1. Erling Haaland scored the winner as Manchester City won 3-2 at RB Leipzig.
What’s next for Como and Lens
The test at home may be harder. Como are fourth in Serie A with 23 points after 10 games, five behind leaders Lazio, and they play second-place Inter on Sunday, ESPN reported. Lens are ninth in France’s Ligue 1, according to ESPN. In the Champions League, the top eight teams after the league phase go straight to the round of 16, while teams ranked ninth through 24th go to a playoff round.
Sources
- UEFA: Biggest Champions League wins
- AP: Como becomes 1st away team to score 9 goals in a Champions League match
- ESPN: Fabregas’ Como up to 4th after record-setting 9-goal night
- ESPN: Lens vs. Como match stats and commentary
- BBC Sport: Lens 1-9 Como
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