After His Goal Streak Was Snapped Last Week, the Forward Scored Again on Saturday
Folarin Balogun's equalizer against FC Metz on Saturday was yet another chapter in what has become one of the most compelling individual runs in Ligue 1 this season.
The American striker pulled Monaco level in the 61st minute, finishing coolly into the far corner to cancel out Jessy Deminguet's header from earlier in the second half. It was a composed, well-struck effort — precisely the kind of clinical finishing that has defined his recent months. The goal was his 13th of the league campaign and his ninth in just ten matches, a return that speaks for itself.
That kind of consistency doesn't happen by accident. Between February and March, Balogun found the net in five consecutive matches. He then carried that momentum into April, scoring in three further games and breaking records along the way. His eight-match scoring streak placed him in rare company—only four other players have managed the same in Ligue 1 in the 21st century, among them Shabani Nonda, who achieved the feat with Monaco itself back in 2003.
His performances have not gone unrecognized. Balogun claimed the Bang & Olufsen MVP of the Month award for April with a commanding 85% of the vote, his second such honor of the season after winning the same prize in February. In his own words, he feels he is at the peak of his career, crediting the coaching staff and their support for helping him express himself so effectively.
Against Metz, his xG for the match was just 0.17, yet he produced an effort registering 0.68 on the xGOT metric—suggesting a finish far more threatening than the chance itself implied. That ability to outperform expectations in front of the goal has become his trademark. Balogun is producing when it matters most.