Arsenal’s Calafiori sets 118-year record with fastest-ever Community Shield goal
Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori scored the fastest goal in the 118-year history of the FA Community Shield, finding the net just 23 seconds into the match against Manchester City. The goal set a new benchmark for the traditional English football curtain-raiser.
Why it matters
This event is a notable milestone in English football history, highlighting the competitive nature of the Community Shield.
Riccardo Calafiori needed only 23 seconds to put Arsenal ahead against Manchester City in the 2026 FA Community Shield, producing an extraordinary opening to the traditional curtain-raiser for the English football season. The Italian defender's finish in Cardiff did more than give Mikel Arteta's side an immediate advantage: it established the quickest goal ever recorded in the 118-year history of the competition.Calafiori makes Community Shield historyArsenal had barely begun their first attack when Calafiori found himself running into the Manchester City penalty area. Myles Lewis-Skelly produced the decisive moment of invention, playing a precise reverse pass into the Italian's path just seconds after kick-off.Calafiori held off his marker and calmly guided his finish past Gianluigi Donnarumma, finding the bottom-left corner to make it 1-0 after only 23 seconds.The goal was subsequently recognised as the fastest in Community Shield history.
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