USMNT striker Folarin Balogun netted a sensational poacher's brace for Monaco, ending a three-match goal drought at club level.
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Monaco defeat Metz 5-2Balogun scores poacher's braceUSMNT striker struggling in 2024WHAT HAPPENED?
Scoring the French side's fourth and fifth goals, Balogun forced a mistake from Metz goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja to earn his first of the night. The USMNT striker pressured the Algerian in his box, forcing a simple misstep where Balogun stole the ball and fired home from close range.
In the 87th minute, he added his second, tapping home on the backpost off a corner kick. The ball flew in, was headed towards the American and he tapped home in clinical fashion.
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Both goals can be viewed here:
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Balogun has struggled to find consistency for both club and country in 2024, with Saturday's brace being his sixth and seventh goals of the Ligue 1 campaign this year. In comparison, he netted 21 goals during the 2022/23 season for Reims.
His inconsistency also saw him lose out on a starting sport for the CONCACAF Nations League final for the USMNT in March, where the U.S. claimed glory over Mexico via a 2-0 victory.
DID YOU KNOW?
Balogun is the first USMNT player to score two goals as a substitute in a single match in the top 5 European leagues since Charlie Davies for Sochaux in August 2009.