Italian Serie A side Como demolished French club Lens 9-1 at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens, France, on the fourth matchday of the UEFA Champions League league phase, a result laprensa.hn described as one of the most staggering nights in the history of Europe’s top club competition. The Italian team, managed by Cesc Fàbregas, produced a relentless attacking display that turned the match into a nightmare for the French side, which could not contain the wave of goals.

Anastasios Douvikas starred with a hat trick, while Argentina’s Nico Paz scored and provided two assists in a collective performance that laid bare Como’s offensive power. Lucas Da Cunha, Marc-Oliver Kempf, Mattia Liberali, Martin Baturina and debutant Matteo Papaccioli completed the rout; Ruben Aguilar scored Lens’s only goal.

Paz Honors Late Teammate with Jersey

Como opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Douvikas converted an assist from Máximo Perrone, then doubled the lead at 32 minutes. At 40 minutes, Nico Paz made it 3-0 with a powerful left-footed strike from the right side of the area after a pass from the Greek forward, according to contextotucuman.com. What happened next drew much of the attention: Paz ran to the substitutes’ bench, received a shirt bearing the image of Jesús de Miguel, and held it up to the cameras and the stands.

Paz was born on the island of Tenerife while his father, Pablo Paz, played for the local club, a connection that made the death of De Miguel especially moving for him. Hours before the Champions League match, Paz had expressed his sadness in an Instagram post, writing: “No me lo puedo creer. Mucha fuerza a toda su familia y amigos en estos momentos tan duros. Descansa en paz.” A minute of silence was held before kickoff in memory of De Miguel.

Second-Half Avalanche Completes the 9-1 Scoreline

Como maintained its intensity after halftime. At 47 minutes, Paz assisted Da Cunha for the fourth goal; at 53 minutes, Kempf scored the fifth; and at 57 minutes, another Paz assist set up Douvikas for his third goal, making it 6-0. Liberali (62), Aguilar for Lens (65), Baturina (69) and Papaccioli (90+1) rounded out the scoring, per the match record reported by laprensa.hn. Referee Rohit Saggi booked Lens’s Baidoo in the 34th minute and Cuisance in the 75th.

Como finished with 18 shots, 12 on target, and 57% possession against Lens’s 43%, according to contextotucuman.com.

What the Result Means for Como in the Standings

With three wins and one loss, Como sits in fourth place among the top eight of the Champions League phase and has become a headache for its rivals. The eight-goal margin makes the result one of the most extraordinary in the competition’s history, and the defeat marks a historic blow for French football in the tournament.

Match Details at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Lens lined up with Risser; Antonio, Baidoo, Udol; Aguilar, Cuisance, Haidara, Skoras; Thauvin, Ivanovic, Hazard, under coach Yannick Cahuzac. Como, under Fàbregas, fielded Butez; Couto, Ramon, Kempf, Valle; Milla, Perrone; Da Cunha, Nico Paz, Caqueret; Douvikas, with substitutions including Smolcic, Ricci, Liberali, Baturina and Papaccioli.

The match was played as part of the fourth round of the Champions League phase at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens, France.