Racing Club de Lens suffered one of the heaviest defeats in its European history as Como demolished the French side 9-1 at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.
The home supporters were left stunned as Lens collapsed against an exceptionally clinical Como side, with Tasos Douvikas leading the rout.
Como took control after only seven minutes when Douvikas opened the scoring following a pass from Perrone. Lens struggled to compete physically or create any attacking momentum, and their problems deepened when Douvikas struck again in the 32nd minute.
Nico Paz then added a third just before half-time, scoring in the 40th minute to leave Lens facing a 0-3 deficit at the break.
The second half quickly turned the match into a historic rout. Lucas Da Cunha increased Como’s advantage in the 47th minute before Marc-Oliver Kempf made it 5-0 six minutes later.
Douvikas completed his hat-trick in the 57th minute, further exposing the uncertainty in the Lens defence, and Mattia Liberali added Como’s seventh in the 62nd minute.
Lens did manage a response three minutes later. Ruben Aguilar pulled one back after receiving the ball from Florian Thauvin, but the goal offered only brief relief for the hosts.
Martin Baturina restored Como’s seven-goal advantage by scoring the Italians’ eighth, before Matteo Pappacioli completed the scoring with a ninth goal.
Lens were undermined by defensive errors rarely seen from the club and were unable to produce a meaningful reaction as the scale of the defeat grew. The result leaves the Artesien club facing the task of recovering from a major European setback and showing considerable character in response.