For the 18th time... Arsenal champions of the Community Shield

Arsenal were crowned champions of the English Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) for the 18th time in their history, after defeating Manchester City 3-0 in the match held this evening at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, UK.

With this victory, Arsenal, nicknamed “The Gunners,” increased their tally in the competition to 18 titles, placing them second on the list of English clubs with the most wins in this tournament, behind Manchester United, who lead with 21 titles. Manchester City remained on their previous total of just seven titles.

The match was thrilling from the outset, as Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori surprised fans of both teams by scoring the fastest goal in the history of the competition, which dates back 118 years, netting against Manchester City after just 23 seconds. Kai Havertz doubled Arsenal’s lead with a second goal in the 28th minute.

Early in the second half, Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard ended Manchester City’s hopes of a comeback by scoring his team’s third goal in the 48th minute.

On the other side, Manchester City players failed to find the back of Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya’s net in a disappointing start for the club that has dominated most English competitions in recent years.