Damian Bobadilla nets first 'own goal' of FIFA World Cup 2026
The player put the ball in his own net in the seventh minute.
The United States (USA) scored its first goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in less than 10 minutes. It wasn’t even scored by a United States player.
Damián Bobadilla of Paraguay scored an own goal in the seventh minute in Los Angeles, giving the United States an early 1-0 lead. It was also the USMNT’s third-earliest goal in World Cup history. It came after a lovely link-up between Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic.
It was not a fluke goal for the United States. The USMNT set up the game with wingback Sergiño Dest in an attacking role and Alex Freeman as the right defender in a four-man backline.
While Paraguay entered their first encounter against the United States with an underdog attitude, hoping to pull off a shock, they were almost immediately forced to play from behind.
Damián Bobadilla nets the first own goal of the FIFA World Cup 2026
Furthermore, the goal for team USA came from a Paraguayan player. Every soccer player’s biggest nightmare is scoring an own goal. A midfielder suffered just that tonight.
Damian Bobadilla scored an own goal in the seventh minute of Paraguay’s encounter against team USA on Friday.
According to Transfermarkt, Damián Bobadilla is only 24 years old. He has 19 total caps for Paraguay, scoring once. He plays club football for Sao Paolo FC in Brazil’s Serie A.
Damián Bobadilla’s unfortunate kick into his own net is the World Cup’s 55th own goal.
During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, there were only two own goals scored throughout the tournament. Four years ago, at the World Cup (2018) in Russia, there were a record-breaking 12 own-goals.
Who scored the own goal against the USA?
Paraguay player, Damian Bobadilla.
At what minute did he score the goal?
Seventh minute of the game.
How many goals did the USA score in the first half of the game?
Three goals, while Paraguay scored none.
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After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.