Como Hit Nine at Lens, Fenerbahce Beat Liverpool 3-2 and Valverde Rescues Real Madrid in Athens
Wednesday's nine Champions League games produced a record-equalling away win for Cesc Fabregas's side, a first league-phase defeat for Andoni Iraola and late winners for Madrid and Manchester City.
Thursday, November 5, 2026/3 min read
Nine goals away from home, a record for the competition, and the man who scored three of them was a striker most of Europe could not have picked out of a line-up a year ago. Como's 9-1 win at Lens on Wednesday night equalled the biggest winning margin in Champions League history and gave Cesc Fabregas's side nine points from four league-phase games, AFP reported via France 24.
The same night ended Liverpool's perfect start in Istanbul, where Fenerbahce came from behind twice to win 3-2 under interim coach Dirk Kuyt, and gave Real Madrid a stoppage-time escape in Athens. Manchester City needed a late Erling Haaland goal in Leipzig, Arsenal held on in Prague, and Porto put four past Napoli for their first points of the campaign. The Tuesday games, including Manchester United's 3-2 win over Roma, were covered in our matchday preview.
How did Como beat Lens 9-1?
Tasos Douvikas tapped in from a Maximo Perrone header after seven minutes and scored again before half-time, with Nico Paz making it 3-0 at the break. Lucas Da Cunha scored two minutes after the restart, Marc-Oliver Kempf and Douvikas, completing his hat-trick, had it at six before the hour, and Mattia Liberali added the seventh in the 62nd minute, FotMob's match report records. Ruben Aguilar pulled one back for Lens three minutes later. Martin Baturina scored the eighth and 18-year-old Matteo Papaccioli the ninth in stoppage time, on his debut.
The eight-goal margin matches Liverpool's 8-0 over Besiktas in 2007 and Real Madrid's 8-0 over Malmo in 2015. Como are only the second club to score nine in a Champions League match, after Bayern Munich's 9-2 against Dinamo Zagreb in September 2024, and the first to do it away. Fabregas, whose side beat Manchester United 4-1 a fortnight ago, said it was a wonderful night but that his players had to keep their feet on the ground. Como sit fourth overall, three points behind Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid and one behind Arsenal.
Why did Liverpool lose to Fenerbahce?
Trey Nyoni, 19, scored his first senior goal to put Liverpool ahead after 25 minutes at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium. Mason Greenwood's deflected free-kick levelled it four minutes later. Alexander Isak headed Liverpool back in front on 69 minutes, Archie Brown equalised almost immediately, and Vedat Muriqi won it for the home side with 11 minutes left, ESPN's scoreboard shows.
Fenerbahce sit sixth in the Turkish Super Lig and had lost 6-0 at Aston Villa earlier in the competition. Andoni Iraola, whose team also lost to Arsenal in the Premier League at the weekend, complained of cheap and messy goals. Isak was calmer, pointing out that three wins from the first three games meant one defeat was not a crisis.
What happened in the other Wednesday games?
Aboubakary Koita put AEK Athens ahead in the 12th minute and Jude Bellingham equalised with a back-heel. Stavros Pilios restored the lead on 75 minutes, Kylian Mbappe scored his 16th goal of the season three minutes later, and Federico Valverde won it in the second minute of stoppage time. Koita was sent off at the end of a 3-2 defeat that keeps Madrid's record perfect.
In Leipzig, City led through a Castello Lukeba own goal and an Enzo Fernandez finish, were pegged back by Ridle Baku and Antonio Nusa, and won 3-2 through Haaland on 78 minutes. Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres had Arsenal 2-0 up in Prague before Wiktor Nowak's last-minute reply made it 2-1. Konstantinos Karetsas, another Greek teenager, scored Borussia Dortmund's winner in a 2-1 defeat of Real Betis, Carlos Forbs settled Club Brugge's 2-1 win at PSV, Porto beat Napoli 4-1 and Viking came from behind to beat Sabah 4-1.
The league phase pauses for the November internationals. When it returns, Como's goal difference is already a tiebreaker nobody else can match, and Liverpool have a point to prove at home.
Published in The Outspoken Digest
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