Como delivered a stunning Champions League statement by thrashing Manchester United 4-1 on Wednesday, with Nico Paz scoring twice as Cesc Fabregas’ side ruthlessly exposed the visitors’ defensive weaknesses to condemn them to another humiliating European night.
United arrived at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia desperately seeking a turnaround in their fortunes, but instead endured a nightmare as Como dominated proceedings, scored four times and left Michael Carrick facing renewed questions about his team’s form. Joshua Zirkzee’s stoppage-time strike offered little consolation after the hosts had already taken complete control.
The Italian side needed only two minutes to break the deadlock. Paz opened the scoring with a superb left-footed effort from outside the penalty area, finding the net after United failed to close him down. The Argentine midfielder found the space he needed to unleash a curling strike beyond goalkeeper Senne Lammens, giving Como an early advantage and immediately putting the visitors under pressure.
United struggled to establish control as Como moved the ball confidently and repeatedly found space between the visitors’ defensive lines. The hosts threatened to extend their lead, while United’s attempts to respond lacked the cutting edge required to trouble Como goalkeeper Jean Butez consistently.
The home side came close to doubling their advantage before half-time. Tasos Douvikas wasted a promising opportunity in the 39th minute after Yan Couto delivered a well-weighted pass behind United’s defence. The striker controlled the ball but mishit his effort, sending it high and wide when he should have done better.
Two minutes later, Douvikas again threatened to score after breaking through on goal. Lammens came off his line, and the striker went down during the challenge, but the offside flag spared United further punishment.
Lammens also had to work to keep out a long-range effort from Martin Baturina, although Como could not find a second goal before the interval.
United’s hopes of mounting a comeback suffered another blow shortly after the restart. Douvikas doubled Como’s lead in the 49th minute, finishing a rapid attacking move initiated by Paz. The Argentine midfielder carried the ball forward before releasing Douvikas, who exploited the space between Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire. The Greek striker broke through and finished confidently beyond Lammens to make it 2-0.
The goal exposed United’s defensive disorganisation and left the visitors facing an increasingly difficult challenge.
Paz then struck again in the 57th minute to make it 3-0. The midfielder benefited from a loose pass by Manchester United’s Carlos Baleba, which ran into his path inside the visitors’ half. Paz accelerated towards goal, drew Lammens out and calmly slid the ball into the far corner to complete his brace.
United had little time to recover before Como threatened again. Lucas da Cunha missed a promising opportunity in the 55th minute, shooting wide from a good position after receiving a pass from Paz. Although the chance came before the third goal, it highlighted how frequently Como were finding openings in the visitors’ defence.
The hosts continued to threaten after Paz’s second strike, with United struggling to find a way back into the contest. Amad Diallo attempted to spark a response, but his long-range effort in the 66th minute failed to trouble Butez significantly.
Como, meanwhile, showed no signs of easing their pressure.
Jacobo Ramon added the fourth goal in the 76th minute, rising to meet a precise cross from Kaiki Bruno and powering a header into the net from close range. The centre-back exploited the space inside United’s penalty area after Harry Maguire moved out of position, leaving Ramon free to attack the delivery and make it 4-0.
The goal completed a remarkable performance from the hosts, who had combined sharp attacking movement with ruthless finishing to punish United’s defensive shortcomings.
Paz nearly completed his hat-trick in the closing stages, but his effort was directed too close to Lammens, who kept it out.
United finally found the net in the 90th minute of normal time, with Zirkzee reducing the deficit in stoppage time. Amad delivered a chipped pass into the penalty area, allowing the Dutch striker to control the ball and finish calmly past Butez.
However, the late goal did little to soften the scale of United’s defeat.
The final whistle confirmed a memorable 4-1 victory for Como, who demonstrated their attacking quality and tactical discipline against a Manchester United side that struggled to contain them throughout the evening.
For Fabregas, the result represented another impressive milestone in Como’s European campaign. For United, it was a sobering reminder of the work required to restore their competitiveness at the highest level.
Final score: Como 4-1 Manchester United
Goals: Nico Paz 2′, Tasos Douvikas 49′, Nico Paz 57′, Jacobo Ramon 76′; Joshua Zirkzee 90+1′.
