Como overwhelm Lens 9-1 at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Bigger Cup on Wednesday
Como overwhelmed Lens 9-1 at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in the Bigger Cup on Wednesday, routing their hosts in a one-sided tie.
The 9-1 victory was the biggest winning margin in Bigger Cup history. Como’s starting XI against Lens did not feature a single Italian and their arrival at the stadium drew attention for its sartorial flourish.
Critics have often claimed Como are not "Italian" enough, a narrative fuelled by the club’s Indonesian ciggy manufacturer backers and a president who likened the team’s multi-hubbed business model to the Walt Disney Company. The squad’s coach, Cesc Fàbregas, is Spanish, the club has an official partnership with Rome menswear house Brioni, and players stepped off the team coach in bespoke double-breasted suits, knitted cotton-silk-cashmere polos and soft slip-on nubuck loafers worn without socks, accessorised with designer shades despite the fading light.
On the pitch the fashion gave way to aggressive, front-foot football that left Lens chasing shadows; Como’s only blemish was a thunderous volley from Ruben Aguilar. The final two goals of the game were scored by teenage substitutes Mattia Liberali and Matteo Papaccioli.
Como, the highest-spending team in Serie A for the past two seasons, have constructed a squad largely unfamiliar to this email until their win over Manchester United a fortnight ago, and the club possess a young talent in Nico Paz described in the report as "a genuine superstar in the making." Their highest-profile summer signings, Trevoh Chalobah and Moise Kean, were absent from the travelling party "due to knack."
Como became only the second team in Bigger Cup history to score nine goals in a single match — the other being Bayern Munich — and Fàbregas moved quickly to temper celebration. "It is a wonderful night for Como, for all our fans and many lads here who are at the start of their careers, but they need to keep their feet on the ground [and in their expensive hand-stitched loafers – Football Daily Ed], be humble, keep learning and not think everything will go well from here on," he said, later adding: "I’m angry over the goal we conceded, as we changed something in our defending with the three substitutions. Plus it was scored by a former teammate; I played with Ruben Aguilar at Monaco and I told him I’d never seen you score a goal like that before!"
With nine goals, no socks and a head coach demanding perfection, the report concluded that Como’s youthful, fashion-conscious ensemble is beginning to make a distinct impression. Join Simon Burnton and Will Unwin for the Bigger Vase clockwatch — which includes home games for Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Celtic and a trip to Prague for Bournemouth — with kick-offs between 5.45pm and 8pm (all times GMT). This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
