Fabregas reacts to Como’s historic 9-1 Champions League victory: ‘Once in a lifetime’

Fabregas reacts to Como’s historic 9-1 Champions League victory: ‘Once in a lifetime’ Cesc Fabregas has spoken in-depth about Como’s recent 9-1 thrashing of Lens in the Champions League, says that he is disappointed with the goal that his team conceded, but says that he is ‘very happy’ for teenage goalscorer Matteo Papaccioli, who scored with his first chance on his first competitive appearance. Como became the first ever Italian club to score nine goals in the Champions League and recorded the highest winning margin in an away fixture in the competition’s history when they beat Lens in a 10-goal thriller on Wednesday night. Fabregas: ‘9-1 once in a lifetime, but the goal we conceded made me angry’ It was a magnificent display that brought goals from seven different scorers in Tasos Douvikas (x3), Nico Paz, Lucas Da Cunha, Marc-Oliver Kempf, Mattia Liberali, Martin Baturina and the teenage Papaccioli. As things stand after the fourth round of Champions League fixtures, Como sit in fourth place in the league phase table with nine points, behind only PSG, Real Madrid and Arsenal. Fabregas’s side have also inflicted 4-1 Champions League defeats on both RB Leipzig and Manchester United this season: the club’s first ever appearance in the competition. “It’s true, we wrote ourselves into the history books,” Fabregas reflected in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport . “It was an unforgettable evening for our fans and for the club. Everything went our way, but we have to carry on like this because we have another important game on Sunday.” COMO, ITALY – NOVEMBER 01: Cesc Fabregas, Manager of Como 1907, applauds the fans after the Serie A match between Como 1907 and Venezia FC at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on November 01, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) Up next for the high-flying Como, who are currently fourth in the Serie A table as well, is a tip to San Siro to face reigning champions Inter. “It’s right that we enjoy this moment because the group deserves it, but football moves at a very fast pace. I’ve already told the boys that we have to archive the Lens game and only think about Inter,” said Fabregas. “A very tough game lies ahead of us at the home of the reigning Italian champions. It will be a tough challenge from a physical and mental point of view. We don’t have much time but we have to prepare as best as we can. “The goal is to go to Milan and show our true identity. It will be our ninth game between the two international breaks. We have to try and finish well and then turn the page again.” Returning to the midweek thrashing of Lens, Fabregas insisted that this is ‘only the beginning’ of the journey for Como in Europe. “Nobody could have expected a 9-1 scoreline, a result that doesn’t normally exist in football. Something like that happens once in a lifetime. I’m proud of my boys. The numbers are excellent, but we’re only at the beginning of our journey in the Champions League. We’ve played four games. “We had a good game against Lens, even if the first five minutes of the second half were a bit superficial. But, we did well in the defensive phase as well as in attack, even if the goal we conceded made me angry. Some things changed at the back when we made three substitutions, but it was my former teammate Aguilar who scored a great goal.” TURIN, ITALY – OCTOBER 27: Cesc Fabregas, Manager of Como 1907, looks on before the Serie A match between Torino FC and Como 1907 at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on October 27, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) Fabregas was asked what pleased him most about the victory over Lens. He replied: “A result like that always catches your eye, but I like to see the team in training, always trying to give everything. We stuck to the game plan by constantly getting forwards and always going about it with our idea of how to play. That’s what made me most happy, because we played with full respect for the opponent until the final minute; pressing and trying to play our football.” It has been an impressive bounce-back for Como after tasting their first Champions League defeat away against Feyenoord in October. They have since beaten Manchester United and Lens and scored 13 goals in the process. Fabregas was asked what has changed since that night in Rotterdam. “Certainly not the attitude, which has always stayed the same,” he replied. “A lot of the time, we only look towards the result. We lost against Feyenoord because they scored three goals and were calmer than us in front of goal, that’s all. Como player Nico Paz marks his Champions League goal against RC Lens by holding up a shirt in honour of Jesus de Miguel, who died in an on-field accident (@como_1907) “Against Lens, everything we did was positive and I felt that the players were excited. We definitely made some mistakes in the Netherlands, but we put the same level of aggression and attitude into it.” Como are now in a position where qualification for the round of 16 is becoming an increasing possibility. They still have big matches against PSG and Barcelona coming up, though. “The standings are getting interesting now. The Champions League is a competition involving lots of great teams and our goal is to fight with all of them that come our way. “When I watched the draw and saw that we would have to go and play against PSG and Barcelona in the final two weeks, I, like everyone, thought we would need to pick up as many points as possible beforehand. Nothing is impossible in football. “PSG and Barca are at a different level to the rest, but we will still have to play them at the end of January. There are still lots of games left. I hope that by then we will have brought back as many of our attackers as possible, which is where we’re suffering right now.” TURIN, ITALY – OCTOBER 27: Cesc Fabregas Fabregas, Manager of Como 1907, gives instructions to Nico Paz of Como 1907 during the Serie A match between Torino FC and Como 1907 at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on October 27, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) Fabregas was also asked for his thoughts on 18-year-old Papaccioli, who scored the historic ninth goal for Como against Lens. He said: “I’m very happy for Papa, we all are. I couldn’t help myself, we all went and joined him when he scored the goal for 9-1. It wasn’t a lack of respect, but an impromptu reaction after everything the young lad had experienced. “Papa started training with us when he was 16, then he tore his cruciate and was out for nine months. He came back not long ago and now he has the opportunity to score goals. He’s a young player from our academy, he’s a humble and ambitious lad. He works hard and he deserves all of this. “I thought on Wednesday that the conditions were right for him to make his debut. It doesn’t often happen that your debut comes in the Champions League, let alone scoring with your first chance. It was a night he’ll never forget.”