The emphatic away victory saw Cesc Fàbregas’ men equal the competition’s biggest-ever winning margin, matching the eight-goal margins previously achieved by Liverpool against Beşiktaş in 2007 and Real Madrid against Malmö in 2015.
Como got off to a flying start, with Anastasios Douvikas opening the scoring in the seventh minute before adding another in the 32nd minute. Nico Paz extended the visitors’ lead in the 40th minute to make it 3-0 before the break.
The Italian side continued their dominance after half-time, with Lucas Da Cunha, Marc-Oliver Kempf, Douvikas, Mattia Liberali and Martin Baturina adding to the scoreline.
Lens managed a consolation goal through Ruben Aguilar in the 65th minute, but Como had the final say when 18-year-old Matteo Papaccioli scored in the 91st minute to complete the remarkable 9-1 victory.
Douvikas stole the spotlight with a hat-trick, taking his Champions League tally to six goals and making him the competition’s leading scorer at the time.
The result was particularly remarkable for Como, who are enjoying their maiden Champions League campaign. The Italian newcomers have now recorded three victories in their opening four matches, collecting nine points and climbing to fourth place in the league-phase standings.
They have also scored 19 goals in their first four matches, underlining their impressive attacking strength in Europe’s elite competition.
Meanwhile, the defeat was a historic setback for Lens, marking the heaviest Champions League defeat ever suffered by a French club.
Como’s extraordinary performance has firmly announced their arrival on the European stage, with Fàbregas’ young side emerging as one of the most exciting stories of this Champions League campaign.