Balogun's Third in Three Ligue 1 Matches

On This Day in 2024, the American Striker Found His Form Before Injury Struck at Roazhon Park

The summer had been cruel. Folarin Balogun arrived at the 2024 Copa America carrying the weight of expectation—the United States' new striker, born in New York, forged in London, now proving himself in Monaco's rouge et blanc. He'd delivered moments of brilliance, including opening goals against Panama despite playing a man down and a crucial strike against Bolivia. But after the tournament's bitter end in Kansas City, after the racist abuse he and teammates endured online, after watching the dream die against Uruguay, Balogun faced a question that haunts every striker: could he carry that form into his club season?

For Monaco, the question was equally urgent. After a second-place finish in the previous campaign, which had secured Champions League football, Adi Hütter's side needed their American forward to fire if they hoped to challenge Paris Saint-Germain's stranglehold on Ligue 1. The early weeks suggested a possibility. A statement victory over Barcelona in the Champions League. Four wins and a draw from five league matches. But individual consistency remained elusive, and Balogun hadn't yet found the rhythm that makes strikers indispensable.

The breakthrough arrived in late September. Against Le Havre on the 22nd, Monaco struggled in the opening period before finding their footing after halftime. When the moment came in the ninth minute, Takumi Minamino slipped Jordan Teze through for the opener, and the confidence began flowing. Later, Eliesse Ben Seghir's individual brilliance and curling finish secured the three points. But it was Balogun's 70th-minute insurance goal off a pass from George Ilenikhena that announced his arrival. His first goal of the season, timed precisely when his team needed composure to double its lead and secure the 3-1 victory.

Six days later, Monaco celebrated their Centenary match against Montpellier. With HSH Prince Albert II and President Dmitry Rybolovlev presiding, with legends watching from the stands, the script demanded victory. Instead, Montpellier struck first through Rabby Nzingoula's counterattack, silencing the Stade Louis-II. Mohammed Salisu cleared one off the line. The pressure mounted. Then came Balogun's response in the 32nd minute, another left-footed strike at the near post, this time set up by Embolo's vision. Two goals in two games. The striker who'd struggled to find his rhythm had discovered it at the perfect moment, and Lamine Camara's last-gasp winner in the 98th minute completed the Centenary celebration.

But momentum means nothing if you cannot sustain it. The trip to Brittany on October 5 presented Monaco's sternest test yet. Rennes hadn't lost at Roazhon Park all season, and with rain falling steadily, the conditions suited the home side's physicality. Hütter adjusted his tactics, deploying a back three to absorb Rennes' attacking threat while maintaining Monaco's offensive identity. The gamble paid immediate dividends when Thilo Kehrer rose to meet Ben Seghir's sixth-minute corner, glancing his header into the net despite a desperate clearance attempt on the line.

Rennes responded with fury. Five minutes later, Ludovic Blas collected the ball 35 yards from goal and unleashed a venomous left-footed blast that arrowed into the top corner, leaving Philipp Köhn motionless. The match threatened to slip into chaos, both sides trading chances in the downpour. Then came the 22nd minute. Ben Seghir, already instrumental in the opener, threaded a defense-splitting pass through Rennes' backline. Balogun's run had been perfectly timed, arriving in space with only Steve Mandanda to beat. The veteran goalkeeper rushed off his line, narrowing the angle, but Balogun's touch was sublime—a delicate chip that floated over Mandanda's outstretched hands and nestled beneath the crossbar.

Three goals in three games. Three different finishes showcasing complete striking craft: the near-post precision against Le Havre, the repeated excellence against Montpellier, and now the audacious chip at Roazhon Park. At 23 years old, Balogun had transformed from a player searching for form into Monaco's most reliable attacking threat. Monaco defended their advantage through the second half with the character Hütter demanded. Ben Seghir struck the woodwork. Arnaud Kalimuendo did the same for Rennes. Hütter rotated his squad, bringing fresh legs to protect the lead. The visitors dropped deeper than their attacking philosophy preferred, but pragmatism delivered results. By the final whistle, Monaco had secured their sixth win in seven matches, accumulating 19 points—three clear of PSG with a game in hand.

But the celebration was brief. In the 65th minute, a seemingly innocuous collision left Balogun clutching his left shoulder. He departed the match immediately, and within hours, the diagnosis confirmed every striker's nightmare: a dislocated shoulder requiring immediate attention. The injury forced his withdrawal from Mauricio Pochettino's first United States training camp as manager, denying him the opportunity to prove himself as the new coach's primary striker.

The optimism suggested two months. Balogun returned briefly at the end of November, featuring in Champions League action against Benfica before appearing against Marseille in early December. But the shoulder hadn't healed properly. Discomfort persisted. On December 16th, Monaco announced the inevitable: surgery, with an expected recovery timeline of four months. The striker who'd scored three goals in three games would miss the remainder of the season's crucial stretch.

That rainy night at Roazhon Park, chipping the ball over Mandanda with the confidence of a striker in perfect rhythm, Balogun had achieved something rare: three goals in three games at the exact moment his team claimed first place in Ligue 1. The injury that followed—suffered in the very match where he'd delivered Monaco's winner—transformed what should have been a breakthrough season into a cautionary tale about football's fragile margins.