Como 4–1 RB Leipzig: Nico Paz, the runners and the missed response

Como vs RB Leipzig: result and analysis — reviewed 14 September 2026

Como beat RB Leipzig 4–1 on 10 September 2026. Baturina, Douvikas, Diao and Perrone scored for Como; Maksimović replied for Leipzig. Our preview expected a close contest. The result was much more decisive, but describing it only as Nico Paz inspiring a debut win leaves out the teammates who made his passing valuable.

Two different destinations for Nico Paz

AS’s report describes Paz releasing Diao for the third goal and providing a low delivery to Perrone for the fourth. The useful distinction is between a runner offering a target beyond the defence and a teammate becoming available to finish a delivery from the side.

Our view is that a defence has a harder task when those options can emerge from the same creative player. Stepping towards the passer can leave the forward run available; retreating to protect depth can give a supporting player time to arrive. The receiving player’s movement helps decide which problem the defender must solve.

That is why our next assessment of Paz would begin before his final pass. Does a teammate offer a usable route while he still has time to see it? If the run starts only after he is surrounded, asking for a more imaginative pass is an incomplete answer. The creator and the runner must recognise the opportunity together.

The chances Leipzig missed change the reading

Leipzig’s fuller official report records Nusa being denied after Como’s opener, followed later by chances for Maksimović and Guiu before Douvikas made it 2–0. The visitors had opportunities to change the position before the interval. A three-goal final margin should not erase them.

This makes the transition between an attack and the next defensive task central to our review. A missed chance can leave a team disappointed and advanced up the field at the same time. The next responsibility still has to be assigned: someone must slow the first pass, while others protect the space the opposition wants to attack. We would examine those responsibilities in the passages around Como’s second goal, rather than assume that simply creating more chances would have solved Leipzig’s problem.

Team-selection context, not a fresh lineup prediction

The same club report confirms that Maksimović and Guiu made their first Leipzig starts. That is historical selection information for this match, not a forecast for the next fixture. Our original preview’s question about containing Paz remains useful, but following him alone would not address the separate movements around him.

What our original forecast missed

We identified the value of support around Paz but underestimated how decisively Como could turn attacking openings into goals. Those are different judgments: naming a relevant tactical relationship does not mean predicting the result correctly.

Our revised emphasis is on the opposition’s protection when an attack ends as well as its marking of the creator. For Como, the test is keeping multiple routes available when a future opponent closes the first one. That is a more demanding standard than expecting another 4–1. Compare Arsenal’s patient winner in Naples, where the useful supporting action developed during a longer possession.

The original preview remains below with its publication date and conditional forecast intact.

Original pre-match analysis — published 8 September 2026

Como begin their first UEFA campaign against Leipzig on 10 September. UEFA identifies Nico Paz as a central creative figure in Cesc Fàbregas's side. Our proposed approach is to make his first touch easier through the movement around him, rather than treat every difficult possession as a problem only he can solve.

The decoy can matter more than the final pass

If Paz waits between the lines without anyone changing the defensive picture, a midfielder can screen the pass while a centre-back remains ready to step forward. Como need another action to disturb that arrangement. A striker moving towards the ball can draw attention; a run beyond can make the defender hesitate.

We would look for those movements to happen before the pass into Paz, not after he is already surrounded. That gives him a choice between turning, setting the ball back and finding the runner. A creator with three options is harder to contain than one whose only instruction is to produce something special.

Leipzig should protect the receiver's exit

For Leipzig, following Paz everywhere could open a different lane. Our preferred response would be to limit the direction in which he can turn and keep the next defender connected. Winning the ball immediately is desirable, but forcing a return pass can be a successful defensive action too.

The risk comes when two players attack the same reception and leave a third-man runner free. Communication between the pressing midfielder and the back line should decide who engages and who stays responsible for the space beyond.

The debut does not require a different identity

Como should not confuse the importance of the occasion with a need to become more cautious in every area. Nor should they insist on a short pass when the opponent has removed every useful option. A deliberate longer ball can reset the position if the team is prepared to contest what follows.

Our forecast is a close tactical contest if Como can give Paz clean, varied receptions without losing their defensive spacing. If Leipzig repeatedly make him receive facing his own goal, the home side's attacks may become easier to funnel wide. The key detail is therefore the movement before he touches the ball, not simply the number of touches he records.

Cover photograph: Unsplash, illustrative sports imagery; not a photograph of the reported event.

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