Antoine Semenyo: Ghanaian Forward Makes History After FA Cup Goal vs Chelsea
- Antoine Semenyo carved his name into football history with a sensational backheel strike in the FA Cup final on Saturday afternoon
- The 26-year-old’s brilliant effort proved decisive as Manchester City held firm to secure their second domestic trophy of the season
- With the triumph, Semenyo also became only the fourth Ghanaian footballer to win the world’s oldest existing cup competition
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Antoine Semenyo carved his name into football history after scoring the decisive goal to hand Manchester City a 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the 2026 FA Cup final.
The Ghanaian forward's moment of pure brilliance handed Pep Guardiola’s side their second trophy of the season on Saturday, May 16.
Source: Getty Images
Semenyo's magic sinks Chelsea
With 18 minutes remaining, Semenyo produced the touch that ultimately settled the final.
After neat interplay between Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva, the Norwegian delivered a dangerous cross into the box.
Semenyo reacted instinctively, guiding a sublime backheel finish beyond Robert Sánchez and into the bottom corner.
Watch Semenyo's cheeky goal, as shared on X:
That moment secured City’s eighth FA Cup triumph and turned Semenyo into the first Ghanaian ever to score in a men’s FA Cup final.
The final itself struggled to ignite for long spells. Chelsea were content to sit deep and frustrate City, while Guardiola’s men initially lacked the sharpness needed to unlock their opponents.
Haaland thought he had opened the scoring in the first half, only for the effort to be ruled out after Matheus Nunes was flagged offside in the build-up.
The striker later fired straight at Sánchez after being released by Marc Guéhi.
Semenyo then squandered a golden chance shortly after the restart, heading over from Nico O'Reilly’s inviting delivery.
At the other end, Rodri produced a vital defensive intervention, recovering brilliantly to clear Moisés Caicedo’s goal-bound header with James Trafford stranded.
But as spaces finally began to appear in the second half, Semenyo delivered the defining moment.
Chelsea nearly responded instantly when Enzo Fernández volleyed narrowly over the crossbar following a long throw, yet City held firm to see out the victory.
Source: Getty Images
Semenyo makes history with FA Cup goal
The 26-year-old's strike carried enormous significance beyond simply winning the trophy.
According to Opta, he is the first Ghanaian footballer to score in the final of the FA Cup.
Several Ghanaian greats, including Anthony Yeboah, Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, and Andre Ayew, all featured prominently in English football, but none managed to score in an FA Cup final.
The goal also saw Semenyo become only the fourth Ghanaian player to win the famous competition.
Essien first lifted the trophy during his time with Chelsea before Muntari followed with Portsmouth. Daniel Amartey later added his name to the list with Leicester City. Now that list welcomes a new addition in Semenyo.
The London-born attacker’s rise since arriving from AFC Bournemouth in January has been remarkable.
He already collected the Carabao Cup earlier this year and could yet complete a stunning hat-trick of trophies if Manchester City overturn Arsenal in the Premier League title race.
Source: YEN.com.gh
