"I felt very bad scoring an own goal," Woodgate told Marca sports daily.

"But what's important is that the team won and it's a very important win," the former Newcastle United player said.

"I'm very happy to have made my debut," he said.

"I've returned to play and I feel very happy because to get to this stage I've had to put in a lot of work and go through some very tough times."

Despite putting the ball in his own net and then being sent off, Real Madrid went on to beat Athletic Bilbao 3-1 late Thursday, thanks to second half goals from Robinho and a brace by Raul Gonzalez.

Woodgate's woeful night started when he intercepted a hard shot from out wide on the left by Athletic's Joseba Etxeberria and headed the ball past his own goalkeeper Iker Casillas to put the Basque visitors ahead after 24 minutes.

To add to his misery, Woodgate gained the dubious distinction of being the first Spanish first division player to put through his own net this season.

After the goal, several sections the crowd barracked Woodgate, adding insult after his injuries.

Woodgate was playing his first competitive game since April 2004.

His last game was as a Newcastle player, when limped out of an English Premiership match against Chelsea with a problem with his left thigh, a few months before Real paid 13.4 million pounds for him in August 2004.

Woodgate then got his marching orders for his second yellow card of the night, for obstructing Etxeberria with his forearm across his opponent's throat.

"I acknowledge that the first yellow was very fair, I made a very harsh challenge but the second was not worthy of a card. It was a shame," said Woodgate.

Woodgate's unhappy debut even brought his mother to tears.

"My mum, who had come to see the game, started to cry when she saw the own goal and again when she saw the reaction of the people to what happened. I made my own mum cry."

"It was really upsetting but the good thing is that my leg was perfect. I proved to all those people who has said that I would never come back that I could play again."

Real coach Wanderley Luxemburgo expressed his support for Woodgate, who misses this Sunday's match against Alaves after his two yellows.