Harold Moukoudi, centre-back and captain of AEK Athens, completed 55 of 57 passes (96.5%) in the 5-1 defeat at Manchester City on matchday 3 of the Champions League league phase.
The Etihad Stadium served up a gruelling evening for AEK Athens. The Greek club went down 5-1 to Manchester City on 21 October on matchday 3 of the Champions League league phase, according to Camerfoot-infos. A scoreline that does not reflect the individual performance of Harold Moukoudi, a starter and captain, who was on the pitch for the full 90 minutes.
The 28-year-old centre-back, a Cameroon international, completed 55 of his 57 attempted passes, a distribution accuracy of 96.5%, according to the same source. He also produced a defensive clearance deemed crucial against Enzo Fernández as the teams came out after the break, KICK442 Sport News reports. Two bright spots in a match that ran away from his team.
City turn it on, AEK take the hits
On the pitch at Manchester City, the gap widened in bursts. Elliot Anderson opened the scoring as early as the 12th minute, before attacking midfielder Phil Foden doubled the lead on 34 minutes, according to KICK442 Sport News. AEK did find a response through Stavros Pilios, who scored on 52 minutes to pull the score back to 2-1.
The respite was short-lived: Rayan Cherki restored City’s two-goal cushion on 57 minutes, according to Football Écologie France. Foden then capped the festival by scoring twice more on 65 and 76 minutes, completing a hat-trick, Camerfoot-infos reports. Marko Nikolic’s AEK side thus suffer a second straight defeat in the competition, after the one against Shakhtar Donetsk on matchday 2, according to CamFoot.com.
An armband that keeps the ball moving
In the rout, Moukoudi stands out above all for his distribution, with 55 passes completed out of 57 attempted, according to Camerfoot-infos.
This match is part of a broader collective story. Harold Moukoudi had guided the Greek club to a historic qualification for the league phase, seeing off Levski Sofia (4-0) in the play-offs, according to Camerfoot-infos. Now he finds himself up against Europe’s elite, with an AEK side still finding its feet in this format.
Five Cameroonians on the stage
Moukoudi represents only part of the Cameroonian presence in the Champions League this season. He is one of five internationals involved in the competition, alongside Carlos Baleba, Bryan Mbeumo, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Ivan Dibango, according to Camerfoot-infos.
On matchday 4 of the league phase, AEK will host Real Madrid on Wednesday 4 November 2026 at the Agia Sophia Stadium.