This was no ordinary debut. Como had waited 119 years for their first appearance in any UEFA competition. Their path to this point was steep and improbable: promotion from Serie B, consolidation, then a fourth-place finish in Serie A last season under Cesc Fàbregas that edged out traditional powers including Juventus and AC Milan. The Spanish coach, a World Cup winner with Spain in 2010 and a midfielder of rare vision during his years at Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona, has instilled a high-pressing, fluid style that has transformed the lakeside club. Capacity at the Sinigaglia was limited to around 10,000 after necessary modifications for European competition, yet the atmosphere crackled with the sense of occasion. Club president Mirwan Suwarso and directors had even given up their seats so that elderly supporters could witness history.
From the opening exchanges Como looked the more coherent side. Leipzig, managed by Martín Demichelis and returning to the Champions League after a difficult campaign two seasons earlier, struggled to impose their usual structure. Willi Orbán was booked inside the first two minutes. In the 15th minute the hosts struck. Anastasios Douvikas drove into the right side of the area and cut the ball back; Ridle Baku’s clearance was incomplete. Martin Baturina, the Croatian attacking midfielder, slipped but recovered instantly, wrong-footed a defender and guided the ball into the bottom corner. It was Como’s first-ever goal in European competition, scored by a player who has become central to Fàbregas’s project since arriving from Dinamo Zagreb.
Como did not sit on the lead. They continued to press high and recycle possession with purpose. In the 38th minute the roles were reversed. Baturina, again involved, slipped a precise through ball that released Douvikas. The Greek forward held off Castello Lukeba and finished low past Maarten Vandevoordt. At half-time the score stood at 2-0 and the xG figures already favoured the home side.
Leipzig emerged with greater urgency after the interval, yet Como’s third goal arrived on the counter in the 54th minute. Assane Diao finished ruthlessly from a tight angle, the Senegal winger’s strike effectively extinguishing the contest. Andrija Maksimović produced a moment of individual quality four minutes later, driving a left-footed effort from distance into the top corner to make it 3-1 and give the visitors brief hope. It proved illusory. Como managed the remainder of the match with maturity, and in the 90th minute substitute Máximo Perrone completed the scoring. Nico Paz, the young Argentine on loan from Real Madrid who had already contributed creatively, supplied the assist; Perrone finished calmly into the bottom left corner.
The statistics underlined the dominance: both teams registered 14 shots, yet Como generated 2.3 expected goals to Leipzig’s 1.42. Goalkeepers on both sides were called into action, but the Italian side’s decision-making in the final third proved decisive. Baturina was named man of the match for his goal, assist and constant influence between the lines.
Afterwards the Croatian midfielder captured the mood. “It was a great night for the team and for the city,” he said. Reflecting on the tactical freedom afforded by Fàbregas, he added: “Yeah he give me a lot of freedom. Sometimes he doesn’t like it because I get out of position a little bit. But he likes it because he gives us the freedom and we play good football. We are audacious.” Looking ahead, Baturina struck a note of measured ambition: “Of course it’s a beautiful feeling, I’m really proud of myself and the whole team and we need to continue like this because this is only the beginning. You never know what happens in the Champions League because you play against different styles all the time. So we need to go game by game and look to go as far as possible.”
For Leipzig the result represented a second successive defeat and a difficult start to the league phase. Demichelis’s side had lost 3-1 at Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga the previous weekend and now face a demanding trip to PSV on matchday two. Como, by contrast, travel to face Feyenoord next month with three points already secured and belief intact.
The evening belonged to a club that has risen further and faster than almost anyone predicted. Fàbregas has repeatedly spoken of the special character of this group; on this evidence the high-pressing, courageous football he has cultivated travels well beyond Serie A. Como’s Champions League adventure is only beginning, yet the manner of their debut will be remembered long after the final whistle faded across the lake.
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