Overview
- Como beat Lens 9-1 at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis on Wednesday, equalling the modern Champions League record for biggest winning margin and producing one of the tournament’s highest-scoring away performances.
- Anastasios Douvikas scored a hat-trick and several teammates added goals, including 18-year-old Matteo Papaccioli on his debut, as Como continued a run of high-scoring results under coach Cesc Fàbregas.
- The result leaves Como on nine points after four league-phase games and fourth in the table, matching Club Brugge on nine points after Nicolo Tresoldi headed his fifth goal of the campaign in Brugge’s win at PSV.
- Under the expanded league-phase format the top eight clubs qualify directly for the last 16 while teams ninth through 24th face a playoff, so Como’s big win has immediate seeding and qualification implications for the group race.
- For Lens the defeat is a third straight group loss and a record Champions League loss for a French club, while the wider context shows Como are not a one-night wonder after earlier wins over RB Leipzig and Manchester United.