Folarin Balogun is starting to pick up steam for Ligue 1 side Monaco.
Balogun scored once on Wednesday in Monaco’s 5-3 road victory over Nantes in league play. The U.S. men’s national team striker now has two goals in his last four appearances for Monaco, who jumped to second place with Wednesday’s win.
Mamadou Coulibaly and Bahereba Guirassy traded goals in the opening 19 minutes before Balogun etched his name on the scoresheet before halftime. Coulibaly played Balogun upfield with a through ball pass before the young striker slotted home into the back of the net.
It marked his third Ligue 1 goal of the campaign.
Guirassy would level things though for Nantes in first-half stoppage time, making it 2-2 heading into halftime.
Monaco would eventually pull away in the second half as Maghnes Akilouche and Aleksandr Golovin scored 10 minutes apart to make it 4-2 to the visitors. Despite Mostafa Mohamed’s consolation goal with 10 minutes to play, Golovin added his second goal of the half to ice the result.
Balogun played 73 minutes in the match, striking the woodwork once and winning four duels.
Up next for Monaco is a home date with Paris FC on Saturday before a return to UEFA Champions League action next week.
Balogun has elite physical tools, elite, intelligent movement – he’s incredibly aware, and often times his runs perfectly, and he’s got the pace to smoke just about any defender. His first touch is very good, he’s active, a willing presser, and he’s far stronger than you’d expect and far better at holding the ball up. There’s just so much to like about the guy.
Except his finishing. If he had Haji Wright’s finishing skills he’d be world class. But just off the highlights you can see he probably should have had a hat trick, and would have if he’d been just a little more clinical. He got one. He’s a marauding menace and a very dangerous striker who makes stuff happen even if he’s not scoring, but man, does he leave some goals on the table. I see that every time I watch him play.
Let’s see if he can find some clinicality. The guys on the Athletic once thought he’d be a £100M player because of that movement and his progressive passing, and while I don’t know if he’ll ever get to that hallowed level, he’s got a ceiling that’s far higher than any striker we’ve ever had but he’s got to be just a little more cold-blooded around the goal and I think we’ll see his productivity spike. The guy absolutely has the ceiling to be a Champions League-level striker…and the frustrating part watching him is he’s not quite a Champions League-level striker just yet and you know he could be.
I still think he’s the USA’s starting #9…and by a good margin. With the World Cup coming up, now would be a wonderful time for him to start getting hot.
He had 2 -3 solid chances on goal including a “one on one” with the keeper he blasted over the crossbar after beating Nantes offside trap with an excellent run. Balogun looked like the old Balogun, lively, fit and a handful all game
That he is. I watch pretty much every Monaco game (and Lyon and others) and he blows me away. I’m gonna say this, I do not mean to be hyperbolic, but he looks like Thierry Henry minus the finishing.
His movement off the ball and pressuring from the front line is at an elite level. If/when his finishing catches up, my lord, he’s gonna be a real handful.