Como’s Dream Debut: Fabregas’s Team Dominates Leipzig
Como 1907 did not just arrive in the UEFA Champions League. They kicked the door down.
On a night that was supposed to test their nerve, Cesc Fabregas’s team dismantled RB Leipzig 4-1, turning a historic debut into a statement of intent on the continental stage.
Baturina Writes History
The first chapter belonged, fittingly, to Martin Baturina.
Fifteen minutes into Como’s first-ever European fixture, the 23-year-old Croatian found the net and, with one crisp finish, etched his name into club folklore. The goal was more than a milestone; it settled any early jitters and set the tone for what followed.
Baturina did not stop at history-making. He slipped into the role of creator with the ease of a player who has heard the Luka Modric comparisons and decided to lean into them. Clever movement, constant scanning, finding pockets of space Leipzig never managed to close — he dictated the midfield battle from start to finish.
The pressure he helped generate soon told.
Tasos Douvikas doubled the lead, finishing off a move that again flowed through Baturina, who provided the assist. Leipzig looked rattled, their usual vertical rhythm broken, their press bypassed by Como’s composure and sharp passing lanes.
Como Turn the Screw
After the interval, any notion that Como might sit back and protect what they had vanished quickly.
Assane Diao struck to make it 3-0, and at that point the Italian side were not just competing; they were cruising. Leipzig finally found a response through Eredin Maksimovic, who pulled one back to inject a flicker of jeopardy into the closing stages.
It never grew into anything more.
As the clock ticked toward 90 minutes, Nico Paz picked his moment, threading a pass into Maximo Perrone. The finish was ruthless, the 4-1 scoreline fully reflecting Como’s authority. A debut had turned into a rout.
Baturina at the Heart of It All
UEFA’s Technical Observer Group saw what everyone inside the stadium had witnessed: Baturina owned the midfield. They named him Player of the Match, a recognition of a performance built on intelligence as much as technique.
Frequently likened to Modric for his spatial awareness and ability to glide into the right zones, Baturina controlled tempo, broke lines, and never allowed Leipzig’s engine room to settle. For a player on his first Champions League night, he played like someone who had been here for years.
He refused to be swept away by the occasion when speaking afterwards. To UEFA, he framed the performance as the product of preparation and calm, stressing that Como had treated this like any other game, determined not to let the atmosphere swallow them.
Later, with CBS Sports Golazo, he allowed a little more of the emotion to seep through. He acknowledged the weight of scoring Como’s first goal in the competition, but when the conversation turned to ambitions, he stayed grounded: progress from the group, one game at a time, adapt to every different style the Champions League throws at them.
No grand proclamations. Just a clear-eyed understanding of the challenge ahead.
From European High to Domestic Grind
The roar from this night will echo around Como for some time. A club stepping into Europe for the first time did not blink; it shone.
Yet the calendar shows no mercy. Fabregas’s side now swing back into Serie A duty, hosting Parma at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Monday. The task is as simple as it is demanding: carry this intensity, this clarity, into the domestic grind.
Baturina knows it. After celebrating a debut to remember, he spoke of pride — his own, his teammates’, the city’s — and the importance of turning one famous night into a habit.
Como have announced themselves. The question now is how far this fearless first step can take them.
