Ex-Manchester United defender Chris Smalling had the debut from hell for Saudi Pro League side Al-Fahya which many have compared to Jonathan Woodgate's nightmare debut for Real Madrid
Fasika Zelealem Senior Sports Reporter
14:19, 15 Sep 2024Updated 15:22, 15 Sep 2024
Chris Smalling endured a horror debut for Al-Fayha where he scored an own goal before getting sent off in an eventual 5-0 thrashing - with fans comparing it to Jonathan Woodgate 's infamous opener for Real Madrid.
The ex- Manchester United defender signed for the Saudi Pro League side earlier this month in what was a two-year deal following a five-year stint with Roma.
Making his debut on Sunday (September 15) against Al-Raed, it couldn't have gotten off to a worse start for the former England international who struck home into his own net after only six minutes.
The 34-year-old was unable to divert the ball away from his goal following a low cross into his six-yard box. It went from bad to worse for Smalling and his team-mates who conceded twice more before the end of the first half.
READ MORE: Kylian Mbappe's PSG saga turns ugly over £46million unpaid fee and court rulingREAD MORE: Daniel Levy told there’s ‘nothing stopping’ Harry Kane from making Tottenham returnAiming to not further add to the embarrassment of the first half, Smalling spectacularly failed as he was shown a straight red card 10 minutes after the break, calling time on what surely ranks as one of the worst debuts in football history.
Going down to 10 men definitely didn't help the Englishman's team-mates who conceded a further two goals in a 5-0 thrashing that now ranks as the club's worst ever defeat in the Saudi Pro League. The nature of Smalling's disastrous debut saw social media users compare it to Jonathan Woodgate's eerily similar debut for Real Madrid in 2005.
The former Leeds and Newcastle defender scored a spectacular own goal on his debut at the Santiago Bernabeu before being shown a second yellow card. Unlike Smalling's Al-Fayha, Madrid fought back to win 3-1 thanks to goals from Robinho and Raul, with the latter netting a brace.
One X (formerly Twitter ) user joked about Smalling's pre-match activities by writing: "He probably saw Woodgate's Real Madrid debut video before kickoff" while another sarcastically added: "Emphatic finish here from Chris Smalling. Got sent off later as well. What a debut".
It's now three losses on the trot for Al-Fayha who've conceded a whopping 10 goals in their opening three league games of the season.
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