Como delivered an emphatic statement in the UEFA Champions League league phase on Wednesday, beating Manchester United 4–1 at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia. Nico Paz struck in the second and 57th minutes, with Anastasios Douvikas adding a 49th-minute goal and Jacobo Ramón heading home in the 76th. Joshua Zirkzee’s reply in the first minute of stoppage time was only a consolation for the visitors.
Paz gives Como the perfect start
United were behind almost immediately. Paz opened the scoring after just two minutes, giving Como an early advantage and leaving the visitors chasing the fixture before they had time to settle.
That remained the only goal of the first half. Despite the damaging start, United reached the interval just one goal adrift, with a route back into the contest still open. Como’s response after the restart would close it decisively.
Three second-half goals put Como out of reach
Douvikas doubled the hosts’ lead in the 49th minute, puncturing any hopes of an immediate United recovery. Eight minutes later, Paz added his second of the evening to make it 3–0. In a devastating passage either side of the interval, Como had transformed a narrow advantage into a commanding lead.
Ramón supplied the fourth with a header in the 76th minute, completing the hosts’ scoring and underlining the scale of United’s difficulties. Zirkzee eventually pulled one back at 90+1, denying Como a clean sheet without threatening the outcome.
Accuracy makes the difference
The shot totals alone tell only part of the story. United attempted 13 efforts to Como’s 11, but the hosts put eight on target compared with the visitors’ four. Como also enjoyed 54.7% possession, combining a greater share of the ball with considerably sharper end product.
United won four corners to Como’s one, yet could not turn that advantage into a meaningful foothold before the result was settled. Their greater volume of attempts offered little comfort against a home side whose accuracy proved decisive.
For Como, this was a richly rewarding European evening, built on an immediate breakthrough and settled by a ruthless second-half burst. For United, the late consolation did little to soften a comprehensive defeat.
