Sun Sep 15 11:15:02 UTC 2024: ## Smalling’s Saudi Debut Turns into a Nightmare: Own Goal, Red Card, and a 5-0 Defeat
Former Roma defender Chris Smalling endured a disastrous start to his Saudi Pro League career. In his first match for Al-Fayha, he scored an own goal after just six minutes and was sent off for a straight red card just ten minutes into the second half.
Smalling’s debut ended in a humiliating 5-0 defeat, the worst loss in Al-Fayha’s history in the Saudi Pro League. The team conceded three goals before the break, with Smalling putting the first one in his own net. His dismissal left Al-Fayha with ten men and they conceded another two goals in the final 35 minutes.
Social media commentators have dubbed the performance a “Woodgate debut,” referencing a similarly disastrous first appearance by Jonathan Woodgate for Real Madrid in 2005, where he also scored an own goal and was sent off.
First Piper 