Italian side Como produced a stunning performance in France, thrashing Lens 9-0 to equal the record for the most goals scored by a team in a single Champions League match.
The result matches Bayern Munich’s 9-2 victory over Dinamo Zagreb in 2024, marking another remarkable milestone in Como’s impressive debut European campaign under manager Cesc Fabregas.
The victory also lifted Como to fourth place in the Champions League league-phase table, following previous wins over RB Leipzig and Manchester United, with a narrow defeat to Feyenoord separating their impressive run.
Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha praised the club’s progress, describing its achievements as extraordinary considering its limited European experience.
“What they are doing is so impressive, considering this is their first time in Europe,” Onuoha told BBC Sport.
“In fact, I remember when they first got promoted and there was so much social media coverage of Fabregas really loving it, and they are fighting for their lives in terms of a relegation dogfight.
“Two seasons later and probably, along with PSG and Barcelona, they are the three most exciting teams in the Champions League.”
Although Como have equalled the Champions League-era record for goals in a single match, Feyenoord remain the holders of the overall European Cup scoring record after beating Icelandic side KR 12-2 in September 1969.
However, Como’s 9-0 victory represents the biggest away win in Champions League history.
The Italian club are also only the third team since the competition began to secure victory by an eight-goal margin, joining Liverpool and Real Madrid, who recorded 8-0 home wins against Besiktas and Malmo respectively.
Como are also the first team to score nine goals away from home in a European Cup match since Feyenoord defeated Olympiakos Nicosia 9-0 in September 1971.
Their attacking record has been equally remarkable. No team has scored more than Como’s 19 goals in its first four matches in European competition. Only Queen’s Park Rangers matched that achievement during the 1976-77 UEFA Cup campaign.
The club’s rise has been particularly striking given that it was playing in Serie D, the fourth tier of Italian football, as recently as the 2018-19 season.
Its transformation followed a takeover by London-based media company Sent Entertainment, owned by Indonesian billionaires Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono.
When the deal was completed in 2019, the brothers initially planned a television project that would showcase matches involving young Indonesian footballers back home.
However, the club’s unexpected promotion changed those plans.
“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.
Despite the financial backing, Como’s rapid development has surprised observers, with former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock noting that investment alone does not guarantee success.
“Yes, they have got rich owners but that alone doesn’t buy you guaranteed success,” Warnock told BBC Sport.
“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, like he is as a manager.
“So the team’s development is almost mirroring his development, in the way that they are going to progress together. It’s a brilliant story.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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