17-year-old Samba scores twice on debut as Man City demolish Norwich 5-0 in Carabao Cup

Floyd Samba announced himself to Manchester City supporters in emphatic fashion on Thursday, scoring twice on his debut as City dismantled Norwich 5-0 in the Carabao Cup third round at the Etihad Stadium. The 17-year-old was handed a start at centre-forward in the absence of the rested Erling Haaland and repaid manager Pep Guardiola’s faith with a performance that belied his age.

Samba opened his account just before the half-hour mark, converting Allan’s cross with a composed header. Rayan Cherki and Allan had already put City in a commanding position before the teenager added a second with a curling finish. Ryan McAidoo completed the rout late on, but the evening was defined by Samba’s breakthrough.

Speaking to the club’s in-house media after the match, Samba described the night as the realisation of a long-held ambition. “That was an amazing game,” he said. “This is what I dream for and to make it a reality is just the best thing in the world right now.”

The teenager revealed that interim Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca — who was referenced in the original source in error; City’s manager had spoken to him about the role — had flagged his likely selection earlier in the week. “Enzo spoke to me on Tuesday, saying he was putting me nine, as an idea, and then, as it got closer, I knew I was going to start and I just had to prepare mentally,” Samba said. “I think I coped quite well today.”

Samba also credited Haaland as an influence on his positional awareness, particularly for the opening header. “Watching players like Erling, he’s always ready for the next ball,” he explained. “So I had to be ready there to get the header off.”

For his second goal, Samba showed maturity beyond his years by dropping deep to create space. “I knew I had to drop back because he didn’t have an option,” he said. “I knew I had space around me and that once I get in that space and get a shot off there’s a good chance of it going in.”

Haaland was deliberately rested ahead of City’s Premier League fixture against Sunderland on Sunday. City’s victory sets up a fourth-round home tie against Brighton, who eliminated Manchester United on Wednesday, with the match scheduled for the week commencing 26 October.