Attacking midfielder Nico Paz needed just two minutes to put Como 1907 ahead of Manchester United on Wednesday (21) during Matchday 3 of the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League League Phase. Playing under heavy rain at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia in Como, Italy, the hosts protected their early advantage to reach the halftime interval with a 1-0 lead over the English club.

The opening sequence developed on the right flank through French midfielder and team captain Lucas da Cunha, who fed Nico Paz on the edge of the penalty area. After squaring up defender Harry Maguire and taking two touches to shift the ball onto his left foot, the 22-year-old Argentine curled a shot into the far top corner past Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens. The strike came immediately after visiting full-back Diogo Dalot missed a left-footed attempt from the right side of the box at the other end of the pitch.

Photo: Nico Paz – X

Signed permanently by the Italian club in a deal exceeding €60 million in total investment, the number 10 shirt holder registered his first career UEFA Champions League goal in his second appearance in the tournament. The finish brings his club tally in the 2026/27 campaign to 3 goals and 4 assists across 10 matches, in addition to 3 goals scored for the Argentina national team during the September and October international windows. With the second-minute strike, Nico Paz also became the second-youngest South American footballer in history to score against Manchester United in Europe’s premier club competition, trailing only fellow Argentine Lionel Messi.

Midfield pressure and Cesc Fàbregas on the young Italian squad

Officiated by German referee Sven Jablonski, the match saw Manchester United look for an equalizer through set pieces after conceding early. In the 17th minute, forward Bryan Mbeumo delivered a corner kick into the center of the box for Harry Maguire, whose header missed the target. Como 1907 answered less than sixty seconds later when Lucas da Cunha tested the visiting defense with a left-footed strike from outside the penalty area that went wide.

MINHA NOSSA SENHORA QUE GOLAÇO DO NICO PAZ! 🤯🇦🇷 O camisa 10 do Como abre o placar contra o Manchester United! 🚨 NÃO PERCA! Como x Man. United está rolando agora na @TNTbr e na @HBOMaxBrasil (https://t.co/mmbf9LCqZq)! #CasaDaChampions #MFM #HBOMax 🎙️: @vhlopes https://t.co/GI4w5NusfH

— TNT Sports BR (@TNTSportsBR) October 21, 2026

As Nico Paz continued to drift between the lines in attack, Manchester United resorted to repeated fouls to break up the rhythm of the home side. Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos, named to the starting lineup by the English visitors, brought down the Argentine playmaker in the 21st minute and committed a second hard challenge on the right touchline in the 25th minute, earning the first yellow card of the afternoon.

Before kickoff on October 21, 2026, Como 1907 head coach Cesc Fàbregas spoke about the mentality of his young roster heading into the club’s first-ever official meeting against the Premier League side. “It is a very special night, for the city, for the club. We have grown a lot and I think the players deserve to experience nights like this. We are going to enjoy it. A great honor for us. We have a very young team, we are trying to create a culture, a style of play, which can take years. At the end of the day it is conviction, passing on a very clear idea, and a good thing about young players is that they have no fear. Over the years, when you get older, is when you start perhaps to get a little more worried,” the manager stated.

First-half play-by-play at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia

Physical battles in the center of the pitch, a brief unexplained stoppage, and late counterattacking chances marked the opening 45 minutes in Lombardy, with the sides splitting ball possession evenly at 50% apiece. The chronological progression of the first half featured the following key plays:

• 1st minute — Kickoff at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia at 1:45 p.m. BRT (5:45 p.m. BST).
• 2nd minute — Diogo Dalot fires a left-footed shot from the right side of the penalty box and misses the target for the visitors.
• 2nd minute — Goal for Como 1907: Nico Paz collects a pass from Lucas da Cunha and curls a left-footed finish into the top corner past Senne Lammens.
• 6th minute — Early fouls disrupt the buildup, with Álex Valle and Harry Maguire both drawing free kicks inside their respective defensive halves.
• 16th minute — Center-back Marc Oliver Kempf puts the ball out of play to concede a corner kick to the English side.
• 17th minute — Harry Maguire heads off target from the middle of the area following a corner kick crossed by Bryan Mbeumo.
• 18th minute — Lucas da Cunha sends a long-range effort wide of the post; shortly after, Mason Mount fouls Croatian attacking midfielder Martin Baturina.
• 19th minute — Martin Baturina goes to the ground inside the box under pressure from Harry Maguire, but video review confirms no penalty kick.
• 21st minute — Harry Maguire executes a sliding tackle at full stretch to poke the ball away from Martin Baturina, while Andrey Santos commits a foul on Nico Paz.
• 25th minute — Referee Sven Jablonski shows a yellow card to Andrey Santos after a hard tackle on Nico Paz near the right sideline.
• 28th minute — The assistant referee raises the flag for offside against the visiting attack following a through ball from Diogo Dalot intended for Youri Tielemans.
• 29th minute — Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha fouls Nico Paz on the right flank, marking his second infringement of the afternoon after bringing down Yan Couto in the 12th minute.
• 31st minute — Bryan Mbeumo is penalized for a foul on Martin Baturina along the left touchline.
• 32nd minute — Play is briefly halted by the officiating crew before resuming moments later without an official medical or disciplinary announcement.
• 35th minute — Goalkeeper Senne Lammens dives to his left to parry a shot away and concedes a corner kick to the Italian hosts.
• 36th minute — Nico Paz is whistled for an offensive foul while contesting possession in the attacking third.
• 39th minute — Unpressured in midfield, right-back Yan Couto lofts a pass over the visiting backline to striker Anastasios Douvikas, who controls the ball but slices his shot off his shin high and wide.
• 41st minute — Anastasios Douvikas breaks through the defense again and goes down over the leg of rushing goalkeeper Senne Lammens, but the play is ruled offside.
• 43rd minute — Senne Lammens blocks a 20-yard strike from Martin Baturina; Anastasios Douvikas reaches the loose rebound but is flagged offside once more.
• 45th minute — Receiving possession with his back to goal on the left corner of the box, Matheus Cunha spins and sends a curling shot onto the roof of the net.
• 45+2 minutes — Following one minute of added stoppage time, the referee blows the whistle to end the first half with Como 1907 leading 1-0.

Starting lineups and injury absences for both clubs

Medical absences and disciplinary suspensions forced both coaching staffs to adjust their rosters for the Matchday 3 fixture in Italy. Cesc Fàbregas was unable to call upon injured squad members Trevoh Chalobah, Moise Kean, Assane Diao, and Spanish forward Jesús Rodríguez. Because a muscular injury will keep Rodríguez sidelined for more than two months, the Como 1907 board replaced him on the official UEFA competition roster with French midfielder Maxence Caqueret, who began the afternoon on the substitutes’ bench.

On the visiting bench, Manchester United manager Michael Carrick made four changes to his starting eleven, highlighted by the return of Dutch center-back Matthijs de Ligt to the first team for the first time since November 2025 following an extended injury layoff. However, the English squad traveled without defender Leny Yoro, serving a suspension after receiving a red card against Atlético de Madrid, alongside injured or unavailable first-team players Benjamin Šeško, Patrick Dorgu, Manuel Ugarte, Lisandro Martínez, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw, and Ayden Heaven.

• Como 1907 (Head coach: Cesc Fàbregas): Jean Butez; Yan Couto, Jacobo Ramón, Marc Oliver Kempf and Álex Valle; Luis Milla and Máximo Perrone; Lucas da Cunha, Nico Paz and Martin Baturina; Anastasios (Tasos) Douvikas.
• Manchester United (Head coach: Michael Carrick): Senne Lammens; Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui; Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans; Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount; Bryan Mbeumo.
• Manchester United substitutes named on the match sheet: Karl Darlow, Tom Heaton, Harry Amass, Sonny Armer, Jaydan Kamason, Carlos Baleba, Jack Fletcher, Tyler Fletcher, Amad Diallo, Shea Lacey,Ethan Thompson and Joshua Zirkzee.

European standings and domestic form entering Matchday 3

Wednesday’s match marks the first competitive meeting between Como 1907 and Manchester United,as well as the Italian club’s first fixture against English opposition. Both sides arrived at Matchday 3 tied on 3 points from 2 matches in the League Phase standings, having recorded one victory and one defeat apiece. In the opening round played on September 10, 2026, the Italian side defeated RB Leipzig 4-1 at home, while the English club routed Sabah FK 4-0. During the second round of fixtures, both teams lost on the road: Manchester United fell 2-0 to Atlético de Madrid on Tuesday (13), and Como 1907 lost 3-2 against Feyenoord on Wednesday (14).

Domestic league action on Sunday (18) produced contrasting results for the two managers prior to their midweek clash in Lombardy. Cesc Fàbregas guided his squad to a 3-1 away victory over Fiorentina in Italy’s Serie A, where the club has lost just once at home across all competitions since February. Meanwhile, Michael Carrick’s team surrendered a lead to draw 1-1 against rivals Leeds United at Elland Road in the Premier League, extending Manchester United’s winless streak to 6 consecutive matches across all tournaments before kicking off the second half in Como.