Anastasios Douvikas opened the scoring in the seventh minute, and the Greek international went on

Como’s 9–1 rout of Lens ties Champions League’s biggest-ever win

Anastasios Douvikas opened the scoring in the seventh minute, and the Greek international went on to complete a hat-trick as Como demolished Lens 9–1 on Wednesday night, equaling the largest winning margin in Champions League history, Sydsvenskan reported. The Italian club, playing in its first Champions League season after finishing fourth in Serie A last season, has now won three of its four opening matches. That run includes 4–1 home wins over both RB Leipzig and Manchester United, Aftonbladet reported. Wednesday’s eight-goal margin matches the record set when Liverpool beat Besiktas 8–0 in autumn 2007 and when Real Madrid defeated Malmö FF 8–0 at the Santiago Bernabéu in December 2015, Sydsvenskan noted. Sveriges Radio noted Bayern Munich’s 9–2 win among previous record results, making Como’s victory the biggest away win ever recorded in the tournament.

Douvikas sets the tone, Paz pays tribute

Douvikas’s early opener set the tone for a one-sided night against a Lens side that offered little resistance. Como’s Argentine midfielder Nico Paz scored the 3–0 and, after the goal, held up a shirt to honor Jesús de Miguel, who died on the pitch after an accident in Spain’s second division at the weekend, Aftonbladet reported.

Lens has won only one of its matches in the tournament, according to Expressen.

Experts call the defeat embarrassing

The scale of the loss drew sharp criticism from Swedish broadcaster Viaplay’s studio analysts. “Letting in nine — that’s embarrassing,” Viaplay expert Bojan Djordjic said, according to Aftonbladet. This shouldn’t be allowed to happen; Lens were so poor,” Viaplay expert Bojan Djordjic said, and his colleague Jonas Olsson agreed: “This is not what it should look like at this level.

What the record means for Como

Wednesday’s result moves Como into the same category as Besiktas and Malmö FF on the receiving end of the competition’s heaviest defeats. For a club that existed for nearly 120 years before reaching Europe’s top competition for the first time this season, the 9–1 win caps a remarkable start — three wins from four group-stage matches, with only the record itself left to chase. Como now shares the record for the largest winning margin in Champions League history, as no team has ever won by more than eight goals.