U.S. striker Folarin Balogun has matched a World Cup record held by Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldinho. He scored and got sent off in the same knockout match during the U.S. team’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Balogun, who is of Nigerian descent, scored his third goal of the tournament. This goal helped the United States reach the round of 16. It also placed him second on the list of most goals scored by an American player in a single World Cup.
His memorable night turned sour when he received a red card in the 64th minute. This means he will miss the next match against Belgium in Seattle.
By scoring and getting a red card in the same World Cup knockout game, Balogun became just the fourth player in the tournament’s history to do so. He joins a rare group that includes Garrincha (1962), Ronaldinho (2002), and Zidane (2006).
Even with ten players, Mauricio Pochettino’s team managed to secure the win. Malik Tillman scored from a free-kick, making him the second American player ever to score directly from a free-kick at a World Cup, after Eric Wynalda in 1994.
Balogun’s red card leaves the U.S. without their top scorer for the last-16 match. But his teammates are confident they can handle his absence with the strength of their squad.
Chris Richards, a defender for Crystal Palace, reacted to Balogun's new record. He said the team has supported their teammate.
“Pretty cool record, huh? We told him that we’ve got his back now. We’ve known we’re a team of 26, not just one. So, ultimately, we’re going to miss him for the next game, but we know that if it’s (Ricardo) Pepi or Haji (Wright), whoever the case, is going to step up next and that they’re going to do their job just as well as he did,” Richards said.
Pochettino now needs to find someone to lead the U.S. attack against Belgium. Pepi and Wright are among the players being considered as the U.S. aims for a spot in the quarter-finals.
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