When Manchester United savoured the last of their three Champions League triumphs in 2008, Como were a Serie D club, playing in one of nine semi-professional regional leagues. On Wednesday, at a rainy but picturesque Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on the banks of the iconic Lake Como, the Serie A outfit showed how far they have come. In fact, on the evidence of their 4-1 thrashing of the English side - and with progressive coach Cesc Fabregas in the dugout - you could argue the European newcomers have leapfrogged the Old Trafford outfit and then some.
Time and again, Fabregas' side sliced through United - who are now winless in their past seven games in all competitions for the first time since 2015. At the heart of Fabregas' team is the brilliant Nico Paz, signed from Real Madrid in 2024, who scored twice and set up another. Since the start of September, the 22-year-old Tenerife-born Argentina international has been directly involved in more goals in all competitions than any other Serie A player.
Wednesday's superb showing took him to nine goal involvements in eight appearances - four goals and five assists - he is also the youngest Argentine player to be involved in three goals in one Champions League game since Lionel Messi against Bayern Munich in April 2009. "He's been absolutely brilliant in everything that he has done," said Glenn Hoddle on TNT. "A lot of his play has been creative and risky, but he's pulled it off." For Como, this is the most high-profile victory since their project began.
We are only just getting our heads around the fact we are playing Inter, Milan and Juventus," said one member of staff. "This is without doubt the biggest night in the club's history." According to chief executive Mirwan Surwaso, it was Como's status as an amateur club - they returned to Serie D in 2017 after being unable to convince the authorities of their financial wellbeing - which first attracted the London-based media company Sent Entertainment, owned by Indonesian billionaires Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono. When they concluded a deal in 2019, the Hartono brothers were planning a TV project, with the idea of screening matches involving young Indonesian players back home.
A visit from Manchester United was not part of the plan. There cannot be many Champions League stadiums you can walk around and in addition to seeing an iconic tourist attraction. Lake Como is 29 miles long and 2.5 miles wide in some parts - you also come across a yacht club and an 'Aero Club' for the sea-planes that take off at regular intervals.
The clubs themselves have been there for a long time. But Como also use their natural surroundings to offer one hour Lake Como tours, followed by 'pre-match Lakeside hospitality'. In town - Como's population is just over 83,000, which means 90% of them could fit in the San Siro Stadium - there is a plush new club shop, selling all kinds of branded merchandise.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
