Former Arsenal Star Folarin Balogun Powers United States to Biggest World Cup Victory in 96 Years
- Folarin Balogun scored twice as the United States thrashed Paraguay 4-1 in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
- The former England youth international became only the second American player to score a World Cup brace after Bert Patenaude in 1930
- Balogun's double helped the co-hosts secure their biggest World Cup winning margin since 1930
Folarin Balogun delivered a statement performance as the United States kicked off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a commanding 4-1 victory over Paraguay.
From a Nigerian perspective, the performance of the New York-born striker, whose parents are Nigerians, will once again spark conversations about what might have been had the former Arsenal academy graduate opted to represent the Super Eagles.
Source: Getty Images
Balogun struck twice as Mauricio Pochettino's men produced arguably the most impressive display of the tournament so far in front of their home supporters.
The victory represented the Americans' largest winning margin at the World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1930, underlining the scale of their achievement.
Balogun writes his name into history
The Monaco forward was named Player of the Match after an outstanding display.
According to Sofascore, Balogun played 72 minutes, registered 33 touches, fired five shots with three on target and ended the encounter with a Sofascore rating of 9.1.
His brace placed him alongside Bert Patenaude as only the second player in United States history to score two goals in a World Cup match.
Patenaude achieved the feat during the 1930 tournament, meaning Balogun ended a wait spanning 96 years, per Opta.
The striker also became the fourth player in successive World Cups to score twice in a host nation's opening match, joining Neymar in 2014, Denis Cheryshev in 2018 and Enner Valencia in 2022.
USA silence doubters
Coming into the tournament, expectations surrounding the Americans were far from optimistic.
Pochettino's side had lost three of their previous four friendly matches, including a heavy 5-2 defeat to Belgium.
Source: UGC
Many observers questioned whether the co-hosts could challenge against the elite nations, but the opening game against Paraguay offered an emphatic response.
The United States produced 16 shots and dominated large portions of the contest.
The opening goal arrived through an unfortunate own goal by Damian Bobadilla after Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie combined brilliantly.
Balogun thought he had doubled the lead moments later, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
The former Arsenal striker would not be denied for long.
Pulisic once again provided the spark, getting behind the defence before supplying Balogun, who calmly finished to make it 2-0.
Deep into first-half stoppage time, Balogun produced the moment of the match.
Released by Malik Tillman, he cut inside before smashing an unstoppable effort into the top corner to send supporters inside Los Angeles Stadium into wild celebrations.
Pulisic and McKennie shine
Although Balogun grabbed the headlines, Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie also played key roles.
Pulisic tormented Paraguay's defence throughout the opening half and was directly involved in two goals.
Source: Getty Images
McKennie, meanwhile, produced an energetic display in midfield and helped dictate the tempo.
Paraguay briefly threatened a comeback after substitute Mauricio pulled one back in the 73rd minute following an assist from Julio Enciso.
However, the goal only served to awaken the Americans.
Gio Reyna eventually wrapped up the victory in stoppage time with a superb long-range strike to seal a memorable night for the co-hosts.
Trump misses opening match
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that United States President Donald Trump was absent from both the opening ceremony and his country's first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The American leader remained in Washington and instead attended a UFC event, with concerns over possible protests believed to have influenced the decision following the reception he received during the NBA Finals.
Source: Legit.ng
