On the shore of Lake Como, where the Giuseppe Sinigaglia has become one of European football’s newest destinations, Nico Paz gave the club’s first Champions League campaign an early flash of ambition. Como 1907 were only three minutes into their league-phase meeting with Manchester United when the Argentine midfielder put Cesc Fàbregas’ side ahead.
Lucas Da Cunha supplied Paz just outside the penalty area. The 22-year-old controlled, shifted the ball with a deft movement to create a narrow shooting lane, then bent his finish precisely into the far corner. It was a goal made for the setting: quick, composed and delivered before the visitors had settled into the evening.
A familiar European stage
Paz had already marked the competition once before his arrival in northern Italy. On 29 November 2023, playing for Real Madrid, he came off the bench against Napoli at the Bernabéu and scored from distance in a 4-2 group-stage victory.
That first Champions League contribution came in Madrid; this latest one carried a different weight. Como’s debut season at this level is a journey the young Argentine appears determined to stretch as far as possible, and his finish against Manchester United gave the hosts a memorable opening to their third league-phase match.
