Floyd Samba scores twice on debut as Manchester City beat Norwich in Carabao Cup
Floyd Samba scored twice on his Manchester City debut as the Premier League side defeated Norwich at the Etihad in the Carabao Cup third round on 17 September 2026, with City progressing to the last 16 to face Brighton.
Samba, 17, was the standout in a match that also featured contributions from Allan and Ryan McAidoo and saw Enzo Maresca record his sixth successive win, maintaining a 100% start to his City tenure, barring the Community Shield. Samba’s footballing background is noted in the club’s academy: he has an older brother, Tyrone, and their father is Christopher, the former Blackburn and Queens Park Rangers defender. Maresca’s appointment and early results were referenced in the coverage as easing doubts about him succeeding Pep Guardiola.
Maesrca selected a rotated but fluid XI, keeping only Rayan Cherki from the side that won 1-0 at Manchester United on Sunday, and naming Geronimo Rulli as a first appearance alongside two other debutants. The system deployed the pacy Samba at the sharp end, a configuration that quickly yielded returns for the manager. The sparse crowd saw Norwich initially attempt to play, with Darlin Yongwa active down the left and Allan, on debut, making a goal-line block to deny a cross.
City opened the scoring after a cross from the left by Nico O’Reilly was fumbled by visiting goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw; the ball fell to Allan, who returned it across the area for Samba to glance in a header. Shortly afterwards Samba set up the second when he laid the ball off inside his own half to Ayyoub Bouaddi; Bouaddi fed Cherki and Samba beat Grimshaw to his right to convert.
Late in the first half Samba was denied when Grimshaw dived at his feet, and Norwich finished the period chasing as City exerted sustained control. City’s attacking chances before the opener had been limited to an aimless Rico Lewis shot and a Mateo Kovacic run that ended in the Norwich area.
Rayan Cherki was withdrawn at half-time and replaced by Ryan McAidoo, allowing key players to be rested. Allan joined Samba on the scoresheet soon after the restart, cutting in from the left, beating Sam Field twice and finding the far corner with a strike. Norwich mounted a left-sided raid almost immediately after the restart that culminated in Kellen Fisher missing the target.
Samba secured the player-of-the-match award with his second goal when he collected the ball inside Norwich’s area and finished into the far right corner, with Grimshaw unable to prevent it. Maresca was reported to be pleased with how his side executed the gameplan, while McAidoo’s sharp finish provided the final touch to an accomplished City victory.
City will meet Brighton in the Carabao Cup last 16 and are scheduled to host Sunderland on Sunday; the coverage also noted that a victory over Régis Le Bris’s side would allow Maresca to enjoy a three-week international break.