'We were completely dominated' - Lens boss Yannick Cahuzac tells players to take 'a long, hard look' at themselves after historic 9-1 Champions League defeat to Como
Lens head coach Yannick Cahuzac has challenged his shell-shocked squad to confront some harsh truths after suffering a historic 9-1 Champions League thrashing at home to Como on Wednesday night. Cesc Fabregas' ruthless Italian visitors ran riot at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis to record the largest away victory in the tournament's history.
French hosts suffer record rout
Cahuzac has ordered his players to take full responsibility after Lens were torn apart on their own turf by Serie A side Como on Matchday 4. Tasos Douvikas struck a treble and set up Nico Paz as the visitors matched the competition's joint-largest winning margin of eight goals alongside Liverpool in 2007 and Real Madrid in 2015. Lucas Da Cunha, Marc Oliver Kempf, Mattia Liberali, Martin Baturina and 18-year-old debutant Matteo Papaccioli also netted after an early penalty against Maxence Caqueret was overturned by VAR.
Manager demands honest dressing-room reflection
Speaking to UEFA's official website after the match, Cahuzac said: "It's a heavy scoreline, we were completely dominated. We've got to have a long, hard look at ourselves and attempt to regain some pride against Marseille on Sunday."
Demanding accountability from his players, he added: "We have to be able to each other in the eyes, tell each other the truth. We have to pick ourselves up and turn our attention to Sunday. Unfortunately, these things happen across the course of a career."
Reflecting on the collapse and Friday's 1-0 loss to Lille, he continued: "I can't offer you an in-depth analysis of what went wrong. We're hurting, but I'm going to concentrate on my side, and how we can pick them up from this.
"Each game is different. We've also had some good performances; we won three games on the bounce in the league prior to Friday [when they were beaten 1-0 by Lille]. Tonight, we can't talk about anything positive about our performance."
Defender accepts blame for collapse
After volleying past Jean Butez in the 65th minute for the French club's only consolation goal of the evening, right-back Ruben Aguilar also spoke to UEFA's official website about their defensive breakdown: "We had a game plan, but we weren't able to execute it. We were cut through and everything went so quickly. We'll get back to work quickly. We're all shocked, saddened, downbeat. That's part of life as a footballer at the top level."
Vowing to make amends in front of their home supporters this weekend, Aguilar added: "Nine goals at home, we have to accept it and shoulder it. We'll give everything when we come back to this magnificent stadium on Sunday."
Marseille clash offers immediate test
Lens must now regroup quickly before welcoming domestic rivals Marseille back to their home ground in Ligue 1 on Sunday afternoon. Having seen a three-match top-flight winning streak halted by Lille prior to Wednesday's European humiliation, the squad desperately need a response before the November international break. Meanwhile, free-scoring Como have become only the second team to hit nine in a Champions League game after Bayern Munich in September 2024, taking their tally to 19 goals from four matches.
