Como were losing 1-0 in Turin with ten minutes left. By the final whistle they had won 3-1. Cesc Fabregas’s team scored three times in the last nine minutes of normal time and stoppage time to beat Torino in Serie A on Tuesday night.
Nico Paz was the big name again. He set up the equaliser and then headed the goal that put Como in front.
Torino led for almost an hour
Como had the ball for most of the night, about 72 percent of it. For a long time it did not help them. In the 24th minute Kian Fitz-Jim won the ball from Jacobo Ramon and Che Adams finished first time from close range.
Torino defended deep after that and Como kept knocking at the door. Martin Baturina hit the crossbar after coming off the bench. It looked like one of those nights.
Three goals in 11 minutes
Then it all changed. In the 81st minute Paz crossed to the far post and Ramon, the defender who lost the ball for the first goal, headed in the equaliser.
Six minutes later Yan Couto sent in a cross from the right and Paz rose to head Como into the lead. In stoppage time Baturina pressed Nikola Vlasic into a mistake and scored from about ten yards.
Both teams had five shots on target. Como had 18 shots in all and Torino had 11.
Fabregas keeps his feet on the ground
Fabregas was pleased with how his players reacted. “We still have to prove that we are a great team, but this was already a test of our maturity,” he told reporters after the game. He added that his team would not have won a match like this last season.
He did not want to talk about the title. “I don’t know how many points we have,” he said. “It’s October and I don’t look at the table.”
He also spoke about a thin squad. Como have six players injured, and Fabregas said they have no fit wingers right now. Como play Venezia at home on Sunday.
Our take
Teams that keep the ball this much often lose games like this one. Como did not panic, and the changes from the bench made a difference. Baturina came on and hit the bar. Then he scored.
Paz is the player everyone talks about, and he earned it here. A goal and an assist in the space of six minutes won the game.
Fabregas can say he does not look at the table. Other clubs at the top will be looking at Como, though.
Is this Como team good enough to stay near the top all season? Tell us in the comments.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Cesc Fabregas by Web Summit (CC BY 2.0), Cesc Fabregas by Amy Martin Photography (CC BY-SA 4.0), Nico Paz by Bryan Berlin (CC BY-SA 4.0), Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia by Byxelized (CC BY-SA 4.0).