Folarin Balogun scored his first Champions League goal of the season, netting in the first half of Monaco's clash with Bodo/Glimt to put his club up 1-0 at the Aspmyra Stadion. The goal is Balogun's third since scoring for the U.S. men's national team against Ecuador in a 1-1 draw during the October international break.
AFPThe big goal
The American striker's finish came just before halftime, in the 43rd minute, and it was a moment of individual brilliance from Balogun. After being played in by Maghnes Akliouche, Balogun found himself facing a tight angle, but he was able to find the back of the net anyway by smashing a shot just inside the goalkeeper's near post.
The goal gave Monaco the lead heading into the break as the Ligue 1 club searches for its first Champions League win this season.
AdvertisementWatch the clipImagnBalogun's recent run
The goal continues the striker's good run of form as he continues to make his mark under new Monaco boss Sebastien Pocognoli, who took over as head coach on Oct. 11. Since then, Balogun has netted three goals in his last six matches – one against Angers, one against Nantes, and then Tuesday's finish against Bodo/Glimt.
On the international side, the striker has also been in good form. After returning to the USMNT in September after dealing with injury issues for the first half of the year, Balogun went on to score against both Japan that month and Ecuador in October to make his case to be the starting No. 9 ahead of the World Cup.
AFPWhat comes next?
The USMNT's roster for November friendlies is set to be released this week, and Balogun is widely expected to be among the headliners. Mauricio Pochettino's side will take on Paraguay and Uruguay during that break in their final matches of 2025.
Before that, though, Balogun has one more club match with Monaco: a visit from Lens on Saturday. The club currently sits fifth in Ligue 1 on 20 points, two points behind Saturday's opponents, who are currently in third.