Como stun Manchester United 4-1 as Nico Paz scores twice
Champions League debutants Como beat Manchester United 4-1 at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, extending United's winless run to seven matches in all competitions.
By MatchPulse Editorial Team
Match played: Wednesday 21 October 2026, UEFA Champions League league phase, Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Como.
Como, playing their first Champions League campaign, produced one of the results of the week by beating Manchester United 4-1 on Wednesday night. Nico Paz scored twice and set up another goal as Cesc Fàbregas's side outplayed Michael Carrick's team from the second minute.
Paz sets the tone
Como led almost immediately. Given space by Harry Maguire, Paz curled the opening goal into the top corner after two minutes. United reached half-time only a goal down, but the second half belonged to the home side.
Four minutes after the restart, Paz played in Tasos Douvikas, who got away from Matthijs de Ligt and finished to make it 2-0. In the 57th minute Paz scored his second after Carlos Baleba lost the ball with a risky turn in his own half. Jacobo Ramón headed in a fourth in the 76th minute at the end of a flowing Como move.
United's only reply came in stoppage time, when Joshua Zirkzee finished from an Amad Diallo cross. Reports noted that the goal spared United from equalling their heaviest defeat in the competition.
Goals: Paz 2', Douvikas 49', Paz 57', Ramón 76', Zirkzee 90+1' (Manchester United).
A historic night for Como
The win lifts Como to six points from their first three league-phase matches. beIN Sports described the result as one of the greatest in the club's history, coming from a team that has risen from Serie B to the Champions League within the last three years, against a club that has won the European Cup three times.
Paz was the outstanding player on the pitch, combining two goals with the pass that created Douvikas's goal.
United's run continues
For United the defeat extends a winless run to seven matches in all competitions, with three draws and four defeats, and they remain on three points in the league phase. It followed a 2-0 defeat by Atlético Madrid the previous week. One positive was the return of De Ligt, who was playing after 11 months out injured.
United's captain struggled to influence the game: Sky Sports noted that Bruno Fernandes has been directly involved in only one goal in his last nine appearances.
Carrick did not hide his frustration. "I'm really angry but you've got to move on and deal with what's next," he said after the game, adding: "I didn't like what I saw tonight though."
Analysis: The manner of the defeat will worry United as much as the scoreline. Three of Como's four goals followed defensive lapses, and United created little until the result was settled. With three points from three matches, United now need a strong run in the remaining league-phase games to reach the knockout stages.
What comes next
United return to Premier League action at home to Bournemouth on Sunday.
