Italian side Como produced one of the most remarkable performances in UEFA Champions League history on Wednesday, thrashing French club Lens 9-1 away from home to equal the competition’s record eight-goal winning margin.
Anastasios Douvikas scored a hat-trick as Cesc Fabregas’ team overwhelmed their opponents at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, recording their third victory in four league-phase matches.
The result placed Como alongside Liverpool and Real Madrid as the only clubs to have won a Champions League match by eight goals since the competition adopted its modern format in 1992.
Liverpool established the record with an 8-0 victory over Besiktas in 2007, while Real Madrid matched it against Malmo in 2015.
Como also became only the second team to score nine goals in a single Champions League fixture, following Bayern Munich’s 9-2 victory over Dinamo Zagreb in 2024.
According to football statistics provider Opta, the last club to score nine goals away from home in Europe’s premier club competition was Feyenoord against Olympiacos in the European Cup in 1971.
Douvikas began Como’s remarkable scoring spree in the seventh minute, converting from close range to give the visitors an early advantage.
The Greek international doubled his tally shortly after the half-hour mark, finishing an impressive team move before Nico Paz struck to establish a commanding 3-0 lead at halftime.
Lens struggled to contain the Italian side after the restart as Como continued their relentless attacking display.
Paz turned provider for Lucas Da Cunha, who scored the fourth, before defender Marc-Oliver Kempf headed home to extend the advantage.
Douvikas subsequently completed his hat-trick, taking Como’s tally to six goals.
Substitute Mattia Liberali added a seventh shortly after entering the contest, further exposing the French side’s defensive difficulties.
Lens eventually registered a consolation goal through Ruben Aguilar, whose well-taken volley briefly interrupted Como’s dominance.
However, the visitors continued attacking, with Martin Baturina scoring their eighth goal in the 69th minute.
Matteo Papaccioli completed the rout with a ninth goal, sealing an extraordinary evening for Fabregas and his players.
The victory continued Como’s impressive debut Champions League campaign following their fourth-place finish in Serie A last season.
The Italian club had previously recorded convincing 4-1 home victories over RB Leipzig and Manchester United.
Wednesday’s result lifted Como to fourth in the Champions League standings with nine points from four matches, behind Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Arsenal.
For Lens, the defeat represented their third consecutive loss in the competition and the heaviest Champions League defeat suffered by a French club.
Como, meanwhile, strengthened their position in the league phase while securing a place among the competition’s most emphatic winners.
Ezeana Emmanuel
