Como produced one of the most extraordinary performances in Champions League history on Wednesday night, dismantling RC Lens 9-1 in France to equal the competition’s record winning margin and announce themselves as serious contenders in their debut European campaign.
Cesc Fabregas’ side delivered an attacking masterclass at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, scoring three times before half-time before adding six more goals after the break. Anastasios Douvikas led the destruction with a superb hat-trick, while Nico Paz, Lucas Da Cunha, Marc-Oliver Kempf, Mattia Liberali, Martin Baturina and 18-year-old Matteo Papaccioli also found the net.
The visitors wasted little time establishing their superiority, opening the scoring in the seventh minute through Douvikas.
Máximo Perrone met a lofted delivery from Luis Milla with a header across the face of goal, allowing the Greek striker to arrive unmarked and tap into an empty net from close range.
Lens struggled to contain Como’s movement and were fortunate not to fall further behind when a penalty was initially awarded against Maxence Caqueret for handball. However, a VAR intervention overturned the decision, sparing the hosts an early setback from the spot.
The reprieve did little to change the direction of the contest, as Como continued to dominate and doubled their advantage in the 32nd minute.
Douvikas completed his brace with another close-range finish after Álex Valle delivered an excellent cross into the penalty area. The striker found space between the Lens defenders and calmly turned the ball home to make it 2-0.
Lens were increasingly overwhelmed by Como’s attacking combinations, and the visitors added a third goal five minutes before the interval.
Douvikas turned provider this time, leading a swift counterattack before releasing Nico Paz, who finished emphatically into the roof of the net in the 40th minute to leave the home supporters stunned.
The situation became even worse for Lens immediately after the restart, with Como scoring their fourth goal just two minutes into the second half.
Paz supplied an excellent pass to Lucas Da Cunha, who produced an impressive finish to beat goalkeeper Robin Risser and extend the visitors’ advantage to 4-0 in the 47th minute.
There was no sign of Como slowing down as the fifth goal arrived in the 53rd minute.
Luis Milla delivered an inviting cross into the penalty area, and Marc-Oliver Kempf rose above the Lens defence to guide a powerful header into the net, making it 5-0.
Douvikas then completed his hat-trick four minutes later, finding the back of the net in the 57th minute after being played through by Paz. The Greek forward produced a composed finish past Risser to make it six and cap an outstanding individual performance.
Como’s relentless attacking display continued after Mattia Liberali entered the contest as a substitute. The teenager needed just a few minutes to make his mark, scoring the seventh goal in the 62nd minute.
Jacobo Ramón launched a long pass forward, allowing Liberali to race into the penalty area before finishing past the advancing Risser to make it 7-0.
Lens finally found something to celebrate three minutes later when Ruben Aguilar pulled one back in the 65th minute.
Florian Thauvin supplied the assist from a corner, with Aguilar positioning himself towards the far side of the penalty area before adjusting his body and firing a superb first-time volley beyond Jean Butez.
It was only a consolation, however, as Como immediately resumed their assault.
Liberali turned provider in the 69th minute, combining with Martin Baturina before sending the Croatian midfielder through on goal. Baturina kept his composure to beat Risser and restore Como’s seven-goal advantage at 8-1.
With the contest already beyond doubt, Como continued searching for another goal, and their persistence eventually produced another historic moment in stoppage time.
In the 91st minute, Liberali delivered his second assist of the evening, releasing 18-year-old Matteo Papaccioli, who raced through on goal before calmly finishing past Risser.
The assistant referee initially raised the flag for offside, but a VAR review overturned the decision and confirmed the goal, making it 9-1 and completing an extraordinary night for the Italian side.
The final whistle confirmed a remarkable result that placed Como alongside Liverpool and Real Madrid as the clubs to have recorded the biggest winning margins in Champions League history.
More significantly, Como became the first away team to score nine goals in a Champions League match, surpassing the previous away scoring record. Their eight-goal winning margin also matched Liverpool’s 8-0 victory over Besiktas in 2007 and Real Madrid’s identical result against Malmo in 2015.
For Fabregas, it was another statement of the remarkable progress being made at Como, who are enjoying an impressive debut Champions League campaign.
Lens, meanwhile, endured a night to forget in front of their home supporters, suffering one of the heaviest defeats in the competition’s history as Como turned their French visit into an unforgettable European spectacle.
