Antoine Semenyo’s Manchester Metropolis journey might hardly have begun in additional emphatic vogue. Simply days after finishing his big-money transfer from Bournemouth, the Ghanaian ahead delivered a standout efficiency in Metropolis’s astonishing 10-1 FA Cup third-round win over Exeter Metropolis on the Etihad Stadium.
The debut capped a whirlwind week that started with Semenyo formally sealing a five-and-a-half-year deal, a switch confirmed earlier by SoftFootball as a part of Metropolis’s long-term planning.
Deployed on the left wing, Semenyo wasted little time exhibiting why Pep Guardiola has admired him for years. His tempo, direct working and confidence on the ball instantly stretched Exeter’s defence.
Metropolis’s long-standing curiosity within the 26-year-old, beforehand revealed by Guardiola himself, was underlined by how shortly he fitted into the system, some extent additionally highlighted by SoftFootball throughout the build-up to the transfer.
Semenyo’s impression was decisive. He supplied a pinpoint cross for Rico Lewis to attain Metropolis’s fifth objective shortly after the break, earlier than getting on the scoresheet himself minutes later with a composed end previous Joe Whitworth.
In doing so, he grew to become the primary Metropolis participant since Sergio Agüero in 2011 to each rating and help on a aggressive debut, a outstanding milestone that added further weight to an already memorable afternoon.
With Guardiola serving a one-match touchline ban, assistant coach Pep Lijnders led post-match duties and was fast to reward the brand new signing. He described Semenyo as humble, hard-working and precisely the kind of profile Metropolis want, noting how shortly he absorbed directions and utilized them on the pitch.
Teammates echoed these sentiments, with Lewis stating that the ahead’s high quality was evident from his first coaching session. The numbers backed it up.
Semenyo accomplished 93 per cent of his passes, created extra possibilities than some other participant and contributed defensively, exhibiting his all-round recreation. When he was substituted to a standing ovation, the second felt full.
After the match, Semenyo summed up the emotion with a easy message, as shared by Fabrizio Romano on his official X account.
Fabrizio Romano posted:
Antoine Semenyo: Man of the Match on my Man Metropolis debut. God is nice.
A line that captured each gratitude and perception after a debut Metropolis followers is not going to neglect.
