Como 1907 makes stunning Champions League debut with Leipzig rout
On a cool Champions League night that will live forever on the shores of Lake Como, a club making its first steps in Europe played like it had been here for decades.
Como 1907 didn’t just debut in the UEFA Champions League. They tore the door off its hinges.
Cesc Fabregas’s side dismantled RB Leipzig 4-1, a scoreline that flattered the Germans more than the Italians. It was bold, fearless football from a team that refused to behave like newcomers.
Baturina writes history
Every great European story needs a first hero. For Como, his name is Martin Baturina.
On 15 minutes, with the tension still hanging over the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, the Croatian midfielder stepped into the spotlight. One clean strike, one net bulging, and Como’s first-ever European goal was in the books. A landmark moment, delivered with the calm of a player who looked utterly at home on this stage.
From there, Baturina didn’t just ride the game. He ran it.
Dropping into pockets, spinning away from pressure, sliding passes through gaps that barely existed, he dictated the rhythm against a Leipzig side used to the pace and chaos of this competition. UEFA’s Technical Observer Group saw enough: Player of the Match, and there was no real debate.
He has been compared to Luka Modric for his movement and spatial awareness. Against Leipzig, those comparisons felt less like flattery and more like a scouting note. At 23, he dominated the midfield battle as if this were his 50th Champions League night, not his first.
Como refuse to blink
The opening goal settled Como. It rattled Leipzig.
The visitors tried to press higher, to squeeze Fabregas’s men back toward their own penalty area. Instead, they were picked apart.
The pressure told again when Baturina turned creator. Slipping into space between the lines, he threaded a pass that sliced Leipzig open, and Tasos Douvikas did the rest. Clinical finish, 2-0, and suddenly this wasn’t just a promising debut. It was a statement.
Leipzig, seasoned European campaigners, looked stunned. Their defensive line hesitated, their midfield lost its structure, and Como sensed it. Fabregas’s side kept the tempo high, hunting in packs, showing the “great intensity” Baturina would later highlight.
After the break, the newcomers went for the throat.
Assane Diao made it 3-0 in the second half, a goal that felt like confirmation rather than surprise. By then, Como were playing with a swagger rarely seen from debutants in this competition. Passes were crisp, pressing coordinated, the crowd in full voice. Leipzig were chasing shadows.
Eredin Maksimovic did pull one back, a reminder that in the Champions League no game is ever entirely safe. But it barely dented the mood. Leipzig’s goal was a flicker, not a comeback.
A ruthless finish
The final word belonged to another of Como’s young talents.
As the clock ticked toward 90 minutes, Nico Paz found space and slipped a pass into Maximo Perrone. The midfielder took his chance, burying Como’s fourth to complete a ruthless, resounding win.
Four goals. Four different scorers. One team playing like it had been waiting its whole life for this night.
Baturina, at the heart of it all, tried to strip away the drama when he spoke afterward. He insisted they had prepared “like any other game,” determined not to let the occasion or the atmosphere swallow them. The performance backed him up. This was not a side overwhelmed by the anthem or the cameras. It was a side that arrived with a plan and executed it.
Speaking to UEFA and later to CBS Sports Golazo, Baturina allowed himself a hint of emotion when reflecting on scoring Como’s first goal in the competition. Pride, yes. But no wild predictions.
In a tournament that punishes arrogance, his outlook was clear: adapt, stay grounded, and take it “game by game.” Different opponents, different styles, constant adjustments. The aim is simple and brutally honest — win as much as possible and fight their way out of the group.
From the lake to the league
Now comes the real test: sustaining this.
Como return to Serie A on Monday, hosting Parma at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia. The lights will be a little less bright, the cameras fewer, but the expectations higher. Nights like this change how a club is seen — and how it sees itself.
Baturina knows it. He spoke of being “very happy and proud” of the club’s first Champions League win, and of a city celebrating alongside the players. That bond between team and town will be vital as the games pile up, as the demands of Europe and domestic football collide.
Como have announced themselves on the continental stage with style and substance. The question now is not whether they belong here.
It’s how far this fearless debutant can go.
