Como Thrash Lens 9-1 in Champions League as Real Madrid Win 3-2 at AEK Athens and Liverpool Lose 3-2 at Fenerbahe

Debutant Como emerged victorious with a thrilling 9-1 domination over Lens, a winning margin that became the new benchmark for an away win while just hours earlier, Titans Real Madrid fought back from a 2 goal deficit to win 3-2 in Athens while Liverpool’s efforts fell short resulting in a 3-2 defeat to Fenerbahçe.

Table of Contents

1. Como 9-1 Lens: A Night of Records

2. How the Goals Came

3. The Numbers That Made History

4. AEK Athens 2-3 Real Madrid

5. Fenerbahçe 3-2 Liverpool

6. Matchday Results and the Table

7. What It Means

8. Conclusion

Como 9-1 Lens: A Night of Records

Como arrived at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis with a debut on their hands, having qualified for the competition for the first time, with their fourth-placed finish in Serie A last season. Having secured three points from their first three matches, Como won the night with a 9-1 margin, a result that no visiting side had ever recorded while equalling the eight-goal winning margin set by Liverpool and Real Madrid in earlier seasons. The stunning night also became the largest away win in the tournament's history.

For Lens, the match was an unfortunate third straight defeat in the competition while also being the heaviest Champions League loss that a French club has witnessed in the competition’s history. The night’s result dropped Lens further down to 33rd while Como rose to fourth in the league-phase table with nine points from four matches. And while the scoreline is significant in itself, it’s hardly a surprise considering the debutant side at just recently beaten RB Leipzig and Manchester United, both 4-1 at home while looking comfortable under the guidance of coach Cesc Farbegas.

How the Goals Came

For Como, the night’s stunning tally was opened early on in the seventh minute by the Greek Striker, Anastasios Douvikas, who quickly added another in the 32nd minute before Nico Paz placed a stunning powerful finish following a counter-attach that secured the 3-0 margin by the 40th minute. Following his goal, Nico Paz quickly celebrated by holding up a shirt in tribute to Jesús de Miguel, a footballer who died following an on-field accident while dedicating his goal as a tribute to the Spanish star. While the half-time provided the two sides to recharge their batteries, Como returned guns blazing with Lucas Da Cunha adding the fourth quickly after and defender Marc-Oliver Kempf heading the fifth from a corner in the 53rd minute.

For Douvikas, the night wasn’t over as he netted another assist from Nico Paz to score a hat-trick in the 57th minute while Substitute Liberali ensured to add his name to the tally, running through the Lens defense within seven minutes of coming on. Lens managed to squeeze a consolation goal through a fine volley by Aguilar before Como’s Baturina returned momentum, taking the scoreline to 8-1 for the night. Como’s 18-year-old Matteo Papaccioli, who was making his Champions League debut on the night further added a ninth goal in stoppage time while Nico Paz secured the man of the match award for the creative brilliance he displayed throughout the night.

The Numbers That Made History

AEK Athens 2-3 Real Madrid

Real Madrid, the UCL titans who’ve become identical with the competition’s history, experienced a scare to their perfect record as they arrived in Athens to a relentless AEK side. Aboubakary Koita managed a left-footed finish to secure the lead for AEK by the 12th minute while Madrid’s Bellingham responded with an improvised backheel flick in the 32nd minute after having an earlier goal disallowed for being marginally offside. AEK’s Stavros Pilios quickly came back to punish a loose Madrid defense in the 75th minute while Kylian Mbappe quickly responded to level three minutes later with a tap-in. While both sides pushed for a victory, Mbappé was frustrated as hit the bar while substitute Federico Valverde comfortably struck a long-range shot to the back of the net, securing a comeback in stoppage time. The win also marked Madrid's fourth in as many league-phase games while AEK remained frustrated at 30th despite best efforts that saw them lead twice.

Fenerbahçe 3-2 Liverpool

Liverpool arrived in Istanbul riding on the success of three consecutive wins, and left with the feeling of being beaten for the first time in the competition. Trey Nyoni was amongst the earliest goalscorers, securing a lead for Liverpool in the 25th minute while Mason Greenwood was quick to equalise for Fenerbahçe in the 29th minutes. As the night played out, Alexander Isak restored Liverpool's advantage in the 69th minute with a stunning finish of a header to Cody Gakpo's cross with his first touch after coming on.

However, that lead lasted only four minutes as a moment of error between Goalkeeper Alisson and Gakpo presented an equaliser to Archie Brown, one he delivered comfortably. Vedat Muriqi further added onto the English team’s woes in the 79th minute, heading a long throw safely to the back of the net to secure a victory that marked the end of a 10-match winless run in the Champions League for the Turkish club. The result also meant that Fenerbahçe rose to 19th in the league table while Liverpool held onto their fifth spot despite the night's defeat.

Matchday Results and the Table

What It Means

Como’s monumental victory was a perfect confirmation of their arrival at football’s most widely cherished competition while promising a solid chance of comfortable qualification into the last 16 with AEK Athens to be hosted at home next. For Real Madrid, the victory was another ignition to their resilience while also highlighting the defensive errors and gaps that have tainted their campaign so far. On the contrary, for Liverpool the defeat was a quick reminder that perfect records could vanish with two seconds of misjudgement and miscalculation while Lens continue to digest a major blow that is likely to influence their larger campaign.

Conclusion

Champions League Nights tend to deliver some of the greatest nights that range from total dominations to tough duels, and this Wednesday’s fixtures ensured to deliver to the fullest. In a night that broke records, displayed composed comebacks and delivered some of the most significant recent shocks, Como’s nine-goal victory would be part of the history books while Liverpool’s collapse was a stern depiction of how close margins and footballing quality have become at the top of the table.