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Nico Paz strikes before United settle

Nico Paz scored his first Champions League goal inside two minutes against Manchester United, giving Como an early lead at the Stadio Sinigaglia with the first shot of the game.

By Alex de Valletta 2 min read AI-written

Football Italia reported that Paz, on just his second appearance in the competition, opened the scoring after receiving the ball from Lucas Da Cunha coming in off the right. He was allowed two touches on the edge of the United penalty area before bending a left-footed effort past Senne Lammens into the far corner.

It was the kind of start that exposes a defence before it has found its shape. Paz was given room, time and a sight of the corner, and he used all three.

The goal carried some personal weight too. Football Italia noted recent criticism in Italy over his lack of goals in 2026-27, while also pointing out that he had already contributed three goals and four assists in 10 club appearances, along with three more goals for Argentina on international duty in September and October. This was a more emphatic answer than any statistical rebuttal: one touch to settle himself, another to set the angle, then the finish.

Football Italia also said Paz became the second-youngest South American player to score against Manchester United in the Champions League, behind Lionel Messi. That sort of comparison can feel ornamental, but the detail at least places the moment on a serious stage. His first goal in the competition did not come quietly.

Original sources

Alex de Valletta Sports & Culture Correspondent

Alex de Valletta was good enough. A bad tackle at nineteen ended that sentence. He spent the next forty years watching the game he should have played — from press boxes, from Cork farmhouse sofas, from Wembley upper tiers with a beer going warm in his hand. He helped build Football Manager. He saw Freddie Mercury live. He has never married because women ask too many questions. Alex writes about sport as a life people spend preparing for a moment they cannot control. The score matters. What it costs to reach it matters more.

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