Como marked their Champions League debut in style, thrashing RB Leipzig 4-1 in front of their home supporters at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia in a result that immediately signals the Italian side's intent to compete at Europe's top table.
The victory represents a landmark moment for the club, who are appearing in the competition's revamped league phase for the first time in their history. Facing a Bundesliga outfit with considerable European pedigree, Como delivered a performance that few would have predicted, overwhelming their German visitors across the ninety minutes.
A four-goal haul against a side of Leipzig's caliber underlines the scale of Como's achievement on the night. The German club, who have regularly featured in continental competition in recent seasons and built a reputation for their attacking football and structured pressing, found themselves second best for large periods, managing only a single reply as Como's players seized the occasion with confidence rarely associated with newcomers to the tournament.
The result will be seen as a statement of ambition from Como, a club that has enjoyed a remarkable rise in recent years after climbing back through the Italian football pyramid to reach Serie A and, now, continental competition. Qualifying for the Champions League represented a significant achievement in itself, but doing so and then producing a performance of this quality against established European opposition takes the story to another level entirely.
For Leipzig, the defeat will raise questions that need to be addressed quickly if they are to salvage their own league-phase campaign. Travelling to Italy as one of the more experienced sides in the draw, the German club would have targeted a positive result to build momentum in the competition. Instead, they were made to look vulnerable by a Como team playing without fear in only its first taste of Champions League football.
The atmosphere inside the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia is understood to have played its part, with the home crowd roaring their side on to a result that will live long in the memory of supporters who have watched the club's transformation over recent seasons. Como's rise from the lower reaches of Italian football to sharing a pitch with one of Germany's leading clubs, and beating them convincingly, is the kind of story that captures the imagination of neutral fans as well as their own.
Attention will now turn to how both clubs respond in their upcoming league-phase fixtures. Como will hope to use this win as a springboard, aware that the format of the new-look Champions League offers every side a lengthy set of matches to accumulate points and push for a place in the knockout stages. A result of this magnitude on the opening night gives them a platform from which to build further confidence.
Leipzig, by contrast, will need to regroup swiftly. A heavy opening defeat is not necessarily fatal given the number of games still to play, but it does add early pressure on a squad that will have expected to be among those pushing for a top finish in the league phase rather than picking up damage limitation results after matchday one.
For now, though, the story belongs to Como, whose emphatic victory has ensured their first Champions League experience will be remembered as one of the standout results of the opening round of fixtures.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.