Como Thrash RB Leipzig 4-1 in Historic Champions League Debut
Como 1907 opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with a commanding 4-1 win against RB Leipzig, recording a landmark first European victory for Cesc Fabregas’s team. Martin Baturina set the tone at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, scoring Como’s first goal in continental competition after 15 minutes.
Quick facts
- Como beat RB Leipzig 4-1 in their first Champions League fixture.
- Martin Baturina scored the club’s first European goal and was named Player of the Match.
- Tasos Douvikas, Assane Diao and Maximo Perrone also scored for the Italian side.
- Como return to Serie A on Monday, hosting Parma.
Baturina then created Como’s second goal, supplying Douvikas before the break. Diao extended the advantage in the second half, putting the hosts three goals ahead before Leipzig found a response through Eredin Maksimovic.
There was no late comeback. Nico Paz provided the final pass for Perrone, who struck in the 90th minute to seal a four-goal display and an emphatic result on the club’s Champions League introduction.
The UEFA Technical Observer Group selected Baturina as Player of the Match after an influential display in midfield. The 23-year-old Croatia international, often compared with Luka Modric for his awareness and movement between spaces, combined his historic goal with the assist for Douvikas.
Baturina said Como had not allowed the scale of the occasion to alter their preparation. He credited the collective performance, highlighting the side’s intensity and saying the players had treated the Leipzig match as they would any other fixture.
He also recognised the personal importance of scoring the first Champions League goal in Como’s history, while keeping the team’s ambitions measured. Baturina said the changing styles of opposition in the competition would demand adaptation, with the squad intending to approach the campaign match by match and pursue a place in the knockout rounds.
After the final whistle, Baturina said he was proud of Como’s first Champions League win and believed the result would be celebrated across the city. Fabregas’s side now turn their attention back to domestic football, with Parma due in Serie A on Monday.
