Manchester City youngster Floyd Samba described his senior debut as “mind-blowing” after scoring a brace in 5–0 EFL Cup Third Round demolition of Norwich City at the Etihad Stadium.
The 17-year-old striker, son of former Blackburn Rovers and QPR defender Chris Samba, took center stage as Enzo Maresca’s much-rotated side easily brushed aside Championship opposition to set up a fourth-round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Samba put the headlines on their way early on, rising to guide home a smart header after good work down the right from fellow debutant Allan. Rayan Cherki quickly doubled City’s lead just three minutes later, latching on to Ayyoub Bouaddi’s pinpoint pass to break Norwich’s towering defensive line.
Allan made it 3-0 shortly after the interval with a powerful solo strike, cutting inside from the left before slotting a goal across the face of goal. Samba then capped his dream evening with City’s fourth before the hour mark, curling an exquisite effort into the net from a similar angle with his proud father watching from the stands. Fellow academy talent Ryan McAidoo added a fifth in the final minute to complete the rout.
Speaking after the gamereflected Samba when he learned that he was in line for minutes against the Canaries.
He said: “Just before yesterday’s game, the day before, I knew there would be a chance to get some first-team minutes. To get a debut like that is mind-blowing. I couldn’t believe it myself, but this is just the beginning, I’ve got a great career ahead of me. It was a great debut.”
The teenager, who has been part of City’s academy since under-9 level, also admitted that the transition from grassroots football to senior level was a major physical and tactical test.
He said: “I couldn’t be happier right now, being my first senior debut, you have to wait for everything to go well, the intensity, the level of the players, everything goes up and you have to be able to match it and deal with it, and I think I did well.”
EFL Cup: Fourth Round
The matches will be played on the week of October 26, 2026
- Fleetwood Town – Arsenal
- Manchester City v Brighton
- Everton v Newcastle
- Sunderland v Brentford
- Liverpool at Chelsea
- Bradford City v Peterborough
- Fulham v Crystal Palace
- Bournemouth v Aston Villa
