Floyd Samba Stars as Manchester City Crush Norwich 5-0 in Carabao Cup
Manchester City cruised into the next round of the Carabao Cup after thrashing Norwich City 5-0 in the third round at the Etihad Stadium on Friday morning WIB. Teenager Floyd Samba stole the spotlight with two goals, earning praise from head coach Enzo Maresca for an impressive performance.
City dominated the contest despite Maresca making several changes to his starting XI. The Italian coach opted to rest a number of his regular starters, instead giving valuable minutes to players who have had limited opportunities to feature prominently during the season.
Samba was among those given a chance to impress, and the 17-year-old took full advantage. His two goals, alongside strikes from Rayan Cherki, Allan and Ryan McAidoo, helped City secure a comfortable victory and progress to the next stage of the competition.
The young forward is the son of former QPR defender Christopher Samba and admitted he was delighted to mark his appearance with such a memorable performance. The teenager also believes the occasion is only the beginning of what he hopes will become a long career in professional football.
“A debut like this is really enjoyable and hard to believe. This is just the beginning. I have a long career ahead of me,” Samba said, as reported by The Guardian.
Samba’s brace also earned praise from Maresca, who revealed that the youngster had only recently been asked to play as a central striker. Despite having little experience in the No. 9 role, Samba adapted quickly and demonstrated his ability in front of goal.
“It was really pleasing to see him score two goals. He had never played as a No. 9 before. We tried it over the previous two or three days,” Maresca said.
“He has good finishing ability and this was a very good game for him. He was not completely convinced about the role at first, but he was able to play it.”
The victory over Norwich extends City’s unbeaten run to six matches across all competitions since their defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield. That run has provided Maresca with positive momentum and helped ease some of the uncertainty surrounding the club following Pep Guardiola’s departure.
City will now face Brighton & Hove Albion in the next round of the Carabao Cup. Before turning their attention back to cup football, however, Maresca’s side must prepare for another Premier League fixture.
Manchester City will travel to face Sunderland on Sunday evening WIB in the fifth matchweek of the Premier League. A victory would allow them to carry their positive momentum into the international break, with domestic football set to pause for several weeks.
For Samba, meanwhile, the emphatic victory could prove to be an important first step in his emergence at senior level. Two goals on a memorable night at the Etihad have ensured that the 17-year-old is now firmly among the young players attracting attention around the club.
