Lens 1-9 Como: Fabregas' side rewrite the Champions League record books
Tasos Douvikas hit a hat-trick as Champions League debutants Como won 9-1 at Lens, the first time an away side has scored nine in the competition.
Como produced one of the most remarkable nights in Champions League history on Wednesday, winning 9-1 away at Lens in a league-phase match that kicked off at 4am Malaysia time on Thursday. Tasos Douvikas scored a hat-trick, seven other players got on the scoresheet, and Cesc Fabregas' side became the first away team ever to score nine goals in a Champions League match.
How the goals flowed at Stade Bollaert-Delelis
The Italian club, playing their first Champions League campaign, were ahead inside seven minutes when Douvikas tapped in after Maximo Perrone headed Luis Milla's pass across goal. The Greek striker added a second just after the half-hour mark, and Nico Paz made it 3-0 before the break with a finish into the roof of the net following a quick counter.
The second half turned into a procession. Lucas Da Cunha scored two minutes after the restart, defender Marc-Oliver Kempf headed in a Milla cross, and Douvikas completed his hat-trick with a powerful near-post strike before the hour. Substitute Mattia Liberali made it 7-0 on 62 minutes. Ruben Aguilar volleyed in a consolation for Lens shortly afterwards, but Martin Baturina and 18-year-old Matteo Papaccioli, on his Como debut in stoppage time, completed the scoring.
Lens briefly thought they had a penalty for a Maxence Caqueret handball, but the decision was overturned by VAR. According to beIN Sports, Como scored their nine goals from 18 shots and an expected-goals figure of 4.27, an indication of how clinical they were.
The records Como broke
The scoreline has several places in the history books:
- No away side had previously scored nine goals in a Champions League match.
- The eight-goal winning margin equals the competition's biggest, matching Liverpool's 8-0 win over Besiktas in 2007 and Real Madrid's 8-0 win over Malmo in 2015.
- Bayern Munich, with their 9-2 win over Dinamo Zagreb in September 2024, are the only other club to score nine in a Champions League game.
- Como have now scored 19 goals in their first four Champions League matches, five more than the previous competition best of 14 over the same span, held by Juventus from 1995-96.
- According to beIN Sports, 11 different Como players either scored or assisted, the first time any team has managed that in a Champions League match.
Douvikas has now scored in all four of Como's games and leads the competition's scoring charts with six goals. Paz, who had a hand in three goals, used his celebration to honour Jesus de Miguel, the Tenerife forward who died after an on-pitch collision; Paz spent two years in Tenerife's youth system.
A rapid rise for a club from Lake Como
Como only returned to Serie A in 2024 after a 21-year absence, and a fourth-place finish last season earned them this debut campaign. Their start has been eye-catching: a 4-1 home win over Manchester United, a 3-2 defeat at Feyenoord and now three wins from four games.
Fabregas kept his reaction simple, telling reporters: "Today everything went our way." The result lifts Como to fourth in the 36-team league phase on nine points, behind Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Arsenal.
What comes next
Como host AEK Athens on Tuesday 24 November in Matchday 5, a 9pm CET kick-off that works out to 4am on Wednesday 25 November in Malaysia. Lens, now facing questions after conceding nine at home, travel to RB Leipzig the same night. The top eight after Matchday 8 in late January go straight to the round of 16, with teams from ninth to 24th entering the knockout play-offs.
Key takeaways
- Como beat Lens 9-1 away from home, the first time a visiting side has scored nine in the Champions League.
- Tasos Douvikas scored a hat-trick and leads the competition with six goals in four games.
- The eight-goal margin equals the Champions League's joint-biggest winning margin.
- Como sit fourth on nine points in their first-ever Champions League campaign.
- Next up is AEK Athens at home, 4am MYT on Wednesday 25 November.
FAQ
What was the final score between Lens and Como? Como won 9-1 in France on Wednesday 4 November 2026. Douvikas scored three, with Paz, Da Cunha, Kempf, Liberali, Baturina and Papaccioli also scoring; Ruben Aguilar replied for Lens.
Is 9-1 the biggest win in Champions League history? It equals the biggest winning margin, eight goals, shared with Liverpool's 8-0 against Besiktas and Real Madrid's 8-0 against Malmo. It is the highest score by an away team in the competition.
When do Como play next in the Champions League? Como host AEK Athens on 24 November at 9pm CET, which is 4am on 25 November in Malaysia (MYT, UTC+8).
Sources: beIN Sports, Fox Sports, Yahoo Sports, Sports Mole, UEFA