Riccardo Calafiori’s 23-Second Strike Seals Arsenal’s Community Shield Win
Arsenal won the Community Shield 1-0 as Riccardo Calafiori scored after 23 seconds, giving Enzo Maresca a difficult City debut.
Ginevra Cattaneo
Updated on 18 August 2026
Arsenal defeated Manchester City 3-0 in the 2026 Community Shield at Cardiff on Sunday, with Riccardo Calafiori scoring after 23 seconds.
The early goal gave City head coach Enzo Maresca a difficult start to his first competitive match in charge. Calafiori latched on to a through pass from Myles Lewis-Skelly and finished calmly past City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Calafiori’s fast start puts Arsenal ahead
Calafiori’s strike was reported as the fastest goal in Community Shield history. The Arsenal defender made the decisive run onto Lewis-Skelly’s pass and converted within the opening half-minute, putting Arsenal in front almost immediately.
The goal provided the defining moment of a match that formed part of the traditional curtain-raiser ahead of the new campaign.
Kai Havertz’s header doubled the Premier League champions’ lead before Martin Odegaard waltzed round Gianluigi Donnarumma to put them three goals ahead early in the second half.
Arsenal’s result followed a mixed pre-season programme in which they beat Girona, lost to Real Betis and Borussia Dortmund, and drew 1-1 with Como before a shoot-out.
Manchester City entered the match after losing to Inter Milan in a penalty shoot-out and recording wins over K-League All-Stars and Atlético Madrid. The Community Shield was Maresca’s first competitive fixture as City’s head coach.
Arsenal’s team news
Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were named on Arsenal’s bench after returning to training. Jurrien Timber was absent, while William Saliba remained sidelined with a back injury that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta described as long term.
City’s Erling Haaland had also only recently returned to training. Maresca had played down injury concerns surrounding the striker during the week.
Focus turns to the new season
Arteta had backed Maresca to make an impact as the replacement for Pep Guardiola, saying before the match that he knew the City coach well and believed he had the personality, character and knowledge to do an excellent job.
Arsenal are due to begin their title defence against Coventry City on August 22. Manchester City will next face Bournemouth on August 23.
For Arsenal, Calafiori’s finish ensured an immediate advantage and a Community Shield victory. For City and Maresca, the focus now moves quickly from Cardiff to the opening fixtures of the new season.
Ginevra Cattaneo
Ginevra Cattaneo grew up in Bologna with a football shirt on her back and a match playing somewhere in the background at all times. From backyard arguments about whether Maldini or Baresi was the greatest ever to staying up late watching Champions League nights, the game has always been at the centre of her life. She brings that same passion and familiarity to everything she writes, covering Serie A, Italian football culture, and the rapidly growing world of women's football in Italy.
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