Cesc Fàbregas and Como have had a lot of good nights in their first Champions League season, but nothing like this. Como won 9-1 away at Lens on Wednesday night, and Anastasios Douvikas scored a hat-trick.
Seven different Como players scored, and the home side replied only once. No team won by more on a night of Champions League football across Europe.
How the goals went in
Douvikas opened the scoring after seven minutes, turning the ball in after a corner. He got his second in the 32nd minute with a tap-in. Eight minutes later Nico Paz made it 3-0, after Douvikas laid the ball off to him.
The second half started the same way. Lucas Da Cunha scored straight after the break, set up by Paz, and Marc-Oliver Kempf scored the fifth. Douvikas completed his hat-trick just before the hour, with Paz giving the pass again.
Mattia Liberali added the seventh in the 62nd minute. Lens got one back through Ruben Aguilar, who volleyed in after a corner, but Martin Baturina made it 8-1 soon after. In stoppage time Matteo Papaccioli, who had come on for his debut, scored the ninth.
Douvikas keeps on scoring
The Greek striker has now scored in all four of Como’s Champions League games, and he has six goals in the competition. Paz finished with one goal and two assists.
The win was Como’s third in four games in the league phase. They now have nine points from a possible twelve.
A hard night for Lens
For Lens it was a night to forget. They were behind early and never got close. By the time Aguilar scored they were already seven goals down, and the home crowd had little to cheer.
Our take
A few years ago Como were in Serie B. Now they are scoring nine goals away from home in the Champions League. Fàbregas has built a team that plays without fear, and on this form nobody will want to meet them.
One win does not decide a season, and tougher tests are coming. But a result like this will be talked about in Como for a very long time.
How far can Fàbregas take this Como team in Europe? Tell us in the comments.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Cesc Fàbregas by Web Summit (CC BY 2.0); Anastasios Douvikas by Niels98 (CC BY-SA 4.0); Nico Paz by Bryan Berlin (CC BY-SA 4.0); Cesc Fàbregas by Amy Martin Photography (CC BY-SA 4.0).
