Como beat Man Utd 4-1 on league phase matchday 3 of the Champions League, with Nico Paz scoring twice and creating another goal. The home side were ahead after two minutes and never lost control of the scoreline.
How the goals came
Paz opened the scoring in the 2nd minute, set up by Lucas Da Cunha. That early goal put United on the back foot at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.
The second arrived four minutes after the break. Paz turned provider in the 49th minute, and Anastasios Douvikas finished to make it 2-0. Paz then added his second in the 57th minute.
Jacobo Ramón made it 4-0 in the 76th minute, with Kaiki providing the assist. Joshua Zirkzee pulled one back in the 90th minute plus one, set up by Amad Diallo, but it was no more than a consolation.
United collected three yellow cards: Andrey Santos (25th minute), Carlos Baleba (51st) and Shea Lacey (86th). Como's only booking went to Marc-Oliver Kempf in the 85th.
What the numbers say
The match statistics tell an unusual story. United had more shots, 13 to 11, and won the corner count 4-1. Como had more possession, 55% to 45%, and were far more accurate.
- Shots on target: Como 8, Man Utd 4
- Shots off target: Como 3, Man Utd 6
- Blocked shots: Como 0, Man Utd 3
- Fouls: Como 10, Man Utd 11
- Offsides: Como 2, Man Utd 1
Eight of Como's 11 shots hit the target, and four of them went in. United put only four of their 13 efforts on target, and three more were blocked.
The result carries on a pattern from the season averages. Como have scored 3.33 goals per game and conceded 1.67, which gives them two points per game. They have not kept a clean sheet. United average 1.67 goals scored and two conceded, with one point per game and one clean sheet.
What it means in the table
Como, who beat Leipzig 4-1 and lost 3-2 at Feyenoord in their previous two matches, have played three, won two and have six points. Their goal difference of +5 puts them sixth, inside the top eight who go straight through to the round of 16.
United are 20th with three points from three games and a goal difference of -1. That position is in the knockout play-off zone, which runs from ninth to 24th. They had followed a 4-0 win over Sabah with a 2-0 defeat at Atlético Madrid, and this was their second loss in three.
The sides had no recent meetings in MFF's records, so there was no head-to-head history to go on.
MFF's match model had predicted a 2-1 Como win, with a 49% chance of a home victory. It picked the right winner but underestimated the margin.
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