MANCHESTER: Antoine Semenyo scored on his Manchester City debut as the Ghana forward’s new side crushed Exeter 10-1 in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.
Semenyo netted in the second half of City’s ruthless display at the Etihad Stadium and injury-plagued midfielder Rodri also scored for the first time since May 2024.
Semenyo joined City from Bournemouth in a £65 million ($87 million) move on Friday and wasted no time making an impact with Pep Guardiola’s team.
Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham were among the other clubs interested in Semenyo, who had a buyout clause that would reportedly expire on Saturday.
Teenage defender Max Alleyne began the rout, prodding home from close-range for his first City goal in the 12th minute.
Rodri finally got back on the scoresheet in the 24th minute, lashing in from distance after Semenyo’s shot was blocked.
Own goals from Exeter duo Jake Doyle-Hayes and Jack Fitzwater in the 42nd minute and the 45th minute put the result beyond doubt.
But City kept pressing and Lewis volleyed in from Semenyo’s 49th minute.
Semenyo’s debut goal came five minutes later with a clinical finish.
Tijjani Reijnders curled in a seventh from the edge of the area in the 71st minute and Nico O’Reilly added the eighth with a fine header from a Lewis cross.
Ryan McAidoo, 17, hit the ninth from just outside the area in the 86th minute before George Birch blasted into the top corner to give Exeter at least one moment to savour.
City were not done and Lewis lashed home in stoppage-time to make it a perfect 10.
It was City’s biggest win since beating Huddersfield by the same scoreline in 1987.
They also defeated Burton by nine goals in a 9-0 victory in 2019.
Guardiola may not have been on the touchline as he served a one-match ban but it was clear from the team-sheet he meant business.
The City boss made six changes but still fielded a strong side including Erling Haaland.
He was rewarded with City’s first win in four games in all competitions after three successive Premier League draws left them trailing six points behind leaders Arsenal.
Semenyo scores on Man City debut in 10-goal rout of Exeter
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Semenyo scores on Man City debut in 10-goal rout of Exeter
- Semenyo netted in the second half of City’s ruthless display at the Etihad Stadium
- He joined City from Bournemouth in an $87 million move on Friday
Real Madrid to play Benfica, PSG face Monaco in Champions League play-offs
- Real Madrid were handed a quick rematch with Jose Mourinho’s Benfica in the draw for the Champions League play-off round on Friday, while reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain will face dome
PARIS: Real Madrid were handed a quick rematch with Jose Mourinho’s Benfica in the draw for the Champions League play-off round on Friday, while reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain will face domestic rivals Monaco.
Benfica beat Real 4-2 in their final game of the league phase on Wednesday, with a 98th-minute goal by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin proving decisive in allowing the Portuguese side to snatch the last play-off spot ahead of Marseille, who were eliminated altogether.
The defeat also nudged Madrid out of the top eight places in the league standings, which give direct access to the last 16, forcing them into this extra round.
Benfica staged a remarkable recovery to take a play-off place — they finished 24th in the 36-team league phase, the last qualifying spot — by winning three of their last four matches after losing their opening four games.
Mourinho, 63, returned to the Lisbon giants for a second spell as coach in September. He was in charge of Real from 2010 to 2013 and won one La Liga title and one Copa del Rey while also taking them to the Champions League semifinals in each of his three campaigns.
The clubs played each other in the 1962 European Cup final, with Benfica winning 5-3 to claim the last of their two titles to date.
PSG slipped out of the top eight after winning only one of their last five outings in the league phase and finishing in 11th place.
They will go to Monaco for the first leg and will be wary of the principality side who beat them there in Ligue 1 in November.
However, 2004 Champions League finalists Monaco have been in poor form, with just one win in six games since the turn of the year.
They are 10th in Ligue 1, 21 points behind leaders PSG. However, a 0-0 draw with Juventus on Wednesday allowed them to secure a play-off place in Europe.
Newcastle go to Azerbaijan
PSG also beat French opposition in the play-off round last season, hammering Brest 10-0 on aggregate before going on to lift the trophy for the first time in their history.
Elsewhere, Newcastle United will be strong favorites against surprise packages Qarabag of Azerbaijan, with the first leg to come in Baku.
PSG and Newcastle know that if they win, they will play either Barcelona or Chelsea in the last 16. Real’s possible last-16 opponents are Manchester City or Sporting, which would mean yet another trip to Lisbon in the latter case.
Bodo/Glimt, Norwegian champions in four of the last six years, were also surprise qualifiers for this stage and have been rewarded with a tie against last season’s runners-up Inter Milan.
Juventus will take on Galatasaray, while Atletico Madrid face Club Brugge. Borussia Dortmund play Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen were drawn against Olympiacos.
The two-legged play-off ties will take place in February, with the winners advancing to the last 16 in March.
Already through to that stage are the top eight teams from the league phase, including five English Premier League sides in Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and City, as well as Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Sporting.
This season’s Champions League final will be played in Budapest on May 30.
