Man City starlet Floyd Samba scores twice on stunning debut

A dream start

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca made ten changes for Thursday's EFL Cup (Carabao Cup) third-round tie against Championship side Norwich City at the Etihad Stadium, handing debuts to several players including goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli, midfielder Allan and 17-year-old forward Floyd Samba, as reported by Manchester City's official channels. Samba, usually a midfielder, was deployed as a striker for the occasion.

The teenager needed only 28 minutes to make his mark, meeting a knock-down from Allan with a stooping header to open the scoring after Nico O'Reilly's cross was spilled by Norwich goalkeeper Grimshaw. Four minutes later Rayan Cherki doubled City's lead, latching onto a through ball after Samba and Ayyoub Bouaddi combined in midfield, sending City in 2-0 up at half-time.

Second goal seals the night

City continued to dominate after the break. New £34m signing Allan scored City's third in the 48th minute, before Samba struck again six minutes later, curling a first-time effort from around 20 yards past Grimshaw into the far corner after a Norwich mistake in possession — a finish BBC pundit Chris Sutton and the Guardian's live commentary both singled out as the standout moment of the match. By the 54th minute City led 4-0.

Family moment and wider context

Samba's father, Christopher Samba, a former Blackburn Rovers and DR Congo international defender, watched from the stands and was shown reacting with delight, according to the Guardian. Commentators, including BBC's Chris Sutton, praised Samba's composure and suggested he could follow other recent Manchester City academy graduates such as Phil Foden, Rico Lewis and Nico O'Reilly into the first team, with some floating the idea he could eventually become an understudy to Erling Haaland. The winner of the tie was set to host Brighton in the fourth round.