'It's not a defeat, it's a lesson' - Red-eyed Michael Cuisance urges Lens team-mates to question themselves following record 9-1 Champions League loss to Como
Lens midfielder Michael Cuisance fought back tears as he called on his team-mates to take responsibility following Wednesday night's humiliating 9-1 Champions League defeat at home to Como. Cesc Fabregas' Italian visitors produced a ruthless display in France to register the biggest away victory in the modern competition's history.
Emotional midfielder apologises to supporters
Cuisance cut a distraught figure after watching his side concede nine times on Matchday 4 as Como matched Bayern Munich's 2024 tally against Dinamo Zagreb for the highest single-game haul in the Champions League era.
Greek striker Tasos Douvikas hit a hat-trick after opening the scoring in the seventh minute, while Tenerife-born Nico Paz netted the third before half-time and held up a T-shirt honouring late striker Jesus de Miguel.
Speaking to Canal+ with red eyes, Cuisance said: "I'm speechless. The team needs to pull itself together, we need to do better. We're in the Champions League, we have to honour this European Cup, and today we weren't up to the task, we weren't good enough. We're sorry for the fans."
Humiliating collapse demands honest reflection
Captain Lucas Da Cunha, Marc-Oliver Kempf, substitute Mattia Liberali, Martin Baturina and 18-year-old Matteo Papaccioli - whose stoppage-time strike was confirmed by VAR - also scored around Ruben Aguilar's 65th-minute corner volley for the hosts. By winning by an eight-goal margin, the visitors equalled 8-0 victories recorded by Liverpool against Besiktas and Real Madrid against Malmo, while becoming the first side to score nine away in the European Cup since Feyenoord's 9-0 win at Olympiakos Nicosia in September 1971.
Urging his colleagues to show resilience after the rout, Cuisance added: "It's always upsetting; as a competitor, you never like to lose, whether by a small or large margin. It's not a defeat, it's a lesson. We have to learn from this, and we'll see what kind of character the team has. I think we're capable of it. I've experienced much worse in my life. Today, this has to be a lesson; we have to come away having learned something, and, as I said, there's only one way: learning, hard work, and everyone questioning themselves."
Italian debutants continue rapid rise
Competing in fourth-tier Serie D as recently as 2018-19, Como have been transformed since a 2019 takeover by London-based media firm Sent Entertainment, owned by Indonesian billionaires Robert Budi Hartono and Michael Bambang Hartono, who initially planned a television project screening young Indonesian players.
Having beaten RB Leipzig and Manchester United either side of losing to Feyenoord - who hold the overall European Cup record after beating Icelandic side KR 12-2 in September 1969 - Como sit fourth with 19 goals from four matches, matching Queens Park Rangers in the 1976-77 UEFA Cup.
French hosts seek immediate response
Lens must now regroup quickly to restore their battered pride before returning to domestic action in Ligue 1 ahead of the upcoming November international break. Cuisance and his colleagues face a stern test of character as they attempt to prove they have learned from Wednesday's defensive capitulation before European duties resume later this month. Meanwhile, high-flying Como will look to carry their historic continental momentum back into Serie A this weekend.
