Anastasios Douvikas, Como's 27-year-old Greek forward, scored twice in the second half as Fàbregas's side defeated Sassuolo 2-0 at home, extending a Serie A campaign that is beginning to look less like a promising start and more like a sustained statement.
The brace matters because it arrives in context. Como sit fourth in Serie A with 17 points from eight matches — five wins, two draws, one defeat — and Douvikas has now scored five goals across those eight appearances. That is a rate that places him among the most productive forwards in the division at this stage of the season, and it has come without a single registered assist, meaning every contribution has been direct, decisive, and measurable in the simplest currency the game offers.
What the Sassuolo result also confirms is that Douvikas can carry attacking responsibility when the squad is stretched. The match was played without Nico Paz, and the Greek forward answered with a brace that settled the contest in the second half. The opener broke the deadlock; the second doubled the lead and closed the game. No Paz, no problem — at least on this occasion.
The broader picture is one of a club operating well above early expectations. Como's 14 goals scored and seven conceded across eight matches reflect a team that is both efficient in attack and disciplined defensively under Francesc Fàbregas. The 4-1 dismantling of Manchester United in the Champions League earlier in the week demonstrated that the quality is not limited to domestic competition, even if those numbers belong to a separate competition and must be read as such.
Douvikas carries an AI overall rating of 70 out of 100, with a potential of 72 — figures that suggest a player operating close to his ceiling rather than one still climbing toward it. His average match rating of 7.10 in Serie A this season supports that reading: consistent, reliable, rarely spectacular but rarely absent from the decisive moments either.
At 27, Douvikas is in the years when forwards either consolidate or fade. This opening stretch of 2026-27 suggests consolidation is very much the direction of travel. Como's next challenge will be whether Douvikas can maintain this output as opponents begin to study him more carefully — because five goals in eight games earns that kind of attention.