Sports
Como thrashes Manchester United 4-1 in the Champions League
Nico Paz scored twice as Cesc Fàbregas’s side ran over United, whose captain blamed the staff’s plan and whose manager apologized to fans.
Manchester United went to a small lakeside city in northern Italy and lost by three. Como, a club far less famous than its opponent, scored four times against one of the most famous names in football.
Como beat Manchester United 4-1 on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia in the third round of the Champions League league phase, according to NBC Sports’ live coverage and UEFA’s results page. Nico Paz scored twice for the home side.
I went through the match coverage minute by minute as reported. United didn’t lose this game late. It lost it in the second minute and never found a way back.
How it happened
Paz opened the scoring in the second minute, cutting past Harry Maguire, NBC Sports reported. Como led 1-0 at halftime.
United manager Michael Carrick made two changes at the break: Carlos Baleba replaced Santos, who was on a yellow card, and Amad Diallo replaced Matheus Cunha, according to NBC Sports. It didn’t help. Paz set up Tasos Douvikas for 2-0 in the 49th minute, and then scored his second in the 57th after a mistake by Baleba in his own half, Sky Sports reported.
Jacobo Ramón headed in a fourth in the 76th minute. Joshua Zirkzee, a substitute, scored a consolation goal in stoppage time from Amad’s cross, according to Sky Sports.
Como completed 594 passes, the most by any team against United in a Champions League game since Barcelona in April 2019, Sky Sports reported. Matthijs de Ligt made his first start in 325 days after back problems.
The manager talks
“First of all, I have to apologise to the supporters,” Carrick said, according to the Irish Examiner. “For us to play in that way is not acceptable.” Asked about his future, he said: “Listen, I’ve not given my own position any thought.”
The loss stretched United’s winless run to seven matches in all competitions, the longest since late 2015, Sky Sports reported.
The captain talks
The most revealing moment came after the whistle. United captain Bruno Fernandes criticized the team’s approach, saying, “It’s a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave a little bit of space in-behind,” according to NBC Sports. He also said Como’s numbers behind the ball forced United to run a lot and left the players frustrated.
That’s a captain questioning his manager’s game plan in public, on the night of a heavy European defeat. NBC Sports described Fernandes as at odds with Carrick. That’s the kind of quote that gets replayed for weeks.
Where it leaves them
After three matches in the league phase, Como have two wins and one loss, and Manchester United have one win and two losses, according to NBC Sports. It’s early, and the league format leaves room to recover. But a 4-1 defeat changes the goal difference math, and United now need results in a competition where they can’t afford many more nights like this.
Elsewhere on the same night, Bayern Munich and Arsenal drew 2-2, Real Madrid beat RB Leipzig 4-1 and Inter beat Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0, according to UEFA’s results.
Como’s moment
Como are coached by Cesc Fàbregas, NBC Sports noted. A CBS Sports post shared on the live blog called it a great night in the club’s history.
My read: this result says as much about the direction of money and ambition in European football as it does about one match. A club from a city of lakeside villas and tourist ferries is now beating Manchester United in the Champions League, with a famous former player in the dugout and a young attacker running the show. That’s not luck over 90 minutes. It’s a project working.
From the away end
For United fans who made the trip, it was a long night. The team conceded in the second minute, changed shape at halftime and still lost by three. Then they heard their captain explain the loss by pointing at the coaching staff.
For neutral fans, it was the kind of result the expanded Champions League was supposed to produce: a smaller club, at home, taking apart a giant.
What we don’t know
Carrick disputed Fernandes’ account of the staff’s instructions, the Irish Examiner reported, but full match statistics such as possession or shots weren’t included in the coverage I read. Whether the public disagreement leads to anything more will become clear in the coming weeks.
Como got the goals. United got a problem that runs deeper than one bad night by the lake.
Sources
- NBC Sports: Champions League live, Como vs. Man United, Bayern vs. Arsenal
- UEFA: 2026/27 Champions League league phase fixtures and results
- Sky Sports: Como 4-1 Man Utd
- Irish Examiner: Carrick quiet on quit talk after Como hammering
- NBC Sports: Champions League 2026-27 league phase schedule and scores
