The 19-year-old, who has already made appearances for Nice in Ligue 1, was introduced in the final ten minutes of the encounter, marking his first outing in European competition. Despite the limited time, Nguene showed glimpses of his sharp movement and confidence, adding energy to the French sides attack in the closing stages.
A graduate of the cole de Football Boisson du Cameroun EFBC, Nguenes rise continues the academys proud tradition of producing players who reach UEFA competitions. The likes of Rigobert Song, Geremi Njitap, Clinton Njie, and Carlos Baleba all honed their craft at the same Douala-based institution before making their mark in Europe.
Nguene joined Nice earlier this year after a strong spell with the reserves and has since earned praise from head coach Francesco Farioli for his attitude and progression. Thursdays debut was a symbolic reward for his steady development and growing trust within the first-team setup.
For Bernard Nguene, it may have been just ten minutes on the pitch in Spain but it was a defining moment, signalling the start of his European journey and reinforcing Cameroons continued presence on the continental stage.