Antoine Semenyo: How Ghanaian Forward Performed on Champions League Debut vs Real Madrid
- Ghanaian international Antoine Semenyo endured a baptism of fire on his UEFA Champions League debut against Real Madrid
- The 26-year-old, who had enjoyed a blistering start at Manchester City, struggled as his side suffered a 3-0 defeat at the Bernabéu
- Netizens were largely in agreement that Semenyo delivered a subpar display compared to his impressive earlier performances
Antoine Semenyo endured a difficult debut in the UEFA Champions League as Manchester City suffered a chastening 3-0 defeat against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on March 11.
The Ghanaian international finally stepped onto Europe’s biggest club stage after completing a winter transfer move to the English giants.
Registration restrictions earlier in the competition meant he missed the club’s final league phase fixtures, but he and fellow January arrival Marc Guehi were added to Pep Guardiola's squad once the knockout round window opened.
Source: Getty Images
Semenyo's UCL debut ends in heavy loss
City entered the contest with confidence after defeating Madrid during the league phase in December, with statistical models even leaning towards the English champions before kickoff.
According to Opta’s supercomputer, Guardiola's side carried a 45.5% chance of victory, while Madrid’s winning probability stood at 29.9%, with the likelihood of a draw placed at 24.6%.
Those earlier projections quickly proved misleading as the Spanish giants delivered a ruthless first-half display, led by Federico Valverde.
Watch highlights on YouTube of Real Madrid's win over Manchester City:
The midfielder opened the scoring after 20 minutes when he latched onto a long pass from Thibaut Courtois. Valverde shrugged off his marker, rounded Gianluigi Donnarumma and calmly finished into an empty net.
Seven minutes later, he struck again with a low effort that slipped beyond the goalkeeper. Just before halftime, the Uruguayan completed a memorable hat-trick after cleverly lifting the ball over Guehi before finishing from close range.
Real Madrid maintained control during the second half and carried the commanding advantage into the return leg scheduled for March 17 at the Etihad Stadium, according to BBC Sport.
Analysing Semenyo's performance vs Real Madrid
From a Ghanaian perspective, attention naturally turned to Semenyo’s performance.
The forward had arrived in the Spanish capital with strong momentum after contributing nine goal involvements in 12 matches since moving from AFC Bournemouth to Man City.
However, the version of Semenyo that impressed across competitions in England was not fully visible in Madrid.
He spent 69 minutes on the pitch before being substituted, although during that time, he completed 21 of his 26 passes, representing an accuracy rate of 81%.
He registered two shots on target and completed both of his dribbles.
Defensively, he produced one block and won half of his ground duels but failed to secure any aerial contests, with performance data platform FotMob rating his display at 6.2.
Source: Getty Images
Reactions to Semenyo’s performance vs Real Madrid
Despite those numbers appearing respectable on paper, many supporters felt the winger struggled to influence proceedings. Social media quickly filled with reactions as fans analysed the night’s events.
@propsMCFC wrote:
"Semenyo & Guehi are struggling out there. Let’s be real."
@MC_frnk asked:
"Why did Semenyo just drop down like that ??"
@Ben_rak decried:
"This Semenyo performance is making me shed real tears man."
@Agnofranco teased:
"He got cooked."
Although the evening ended in disappointment, the second leg provides Semenyo with an opportunity to respond.
The Ghanaian will be eager to show his true quality when City attempt to overturn the deficit with a home advantage.
Semenyo chalks up rare milestone
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Antoine Semenyo reached a rare milestone after making his Champions League debut on March 11, 2026.
He became only the second player in football history to feature in non-league and all four divisions of English football, and Europe's top tier.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
