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Nico Paz double as Como thrash Manchester United 4-1 in the Champions League
Paz scored inside two minutes and again after the break as the Italian side ran riot. Michael Carrick's United are now seven games without a win in all competitions.
Key points
- Como beat Manchester United 4-1, with Nico Paz scoring twice.
- Paz opened the scoring in the second minute.
- United's winless run in all competitions reached seven games.
Manchester United’s slump deepened on Wednesday night as Como beat them 4-1 in the Champions League, with Nico Paz scoring twice for the Italian side.
Paz needed less than two minutes to make his mark, finishing a pass from Lucas Da Cunha to give Como the lead. United, missing several players, struggled to find a response and went in a goal down.
Como put the game away early in the second half. Anastasios Douvikas scored four minutes after the restart from Paz’s pass, and Paz added his second in the 57th minute. Jacobo Ramon made it 4-0 with a quarter of an hour left, set up by Kaiki Bruno. Joshua Zirkzee’s stoppage-time goal from an Amad Diallo cross was no more than a consolation.
Pressure on Carrick
The defeat stretched United’s run without a win in all competitions to seven games, a difficult spell for Michael Carrick in his first full season in charge. Carrick apologised to the travelling supporters at the final whistle.
The mood before kick-off had already been tense. Defender Lisandro Martinez had said the team needed to “do more” after their recent form.
United had three players booked, Andrey Santos, Carlos Baleba and Shea Lacey. Marc-Oliver Kempf was Como’s only booking.
For Como, the win was a statement on a big European night, built around the creativity of Paz, who had a hand in three of the four goals.