LOS ANGELES: Folarin Balogun scored twice as hosts United States of America (USA) launched their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign in emphatic fashion with a convincing 4-1 victory over Paraguay in front of a packed home crowd on Friday.
The Monaco striker starred in a dominant attacking display as the United States delighted 70,492 fans at a sold-out stadium in Los Angeles, putting themselves in a strong position in Group D, which also features Australia and Turkey.
A number of high-profile celebrities were in attendance for the occasion, including Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio and Paris Hilton, as the co-hosts produced a performance worthy of the occasion.
The United States made the perfect start and took the lead inside seven minutes. Weston McKennie drove forward from midfield before linking up with Christian Pulisic, who returned the ball to his teammate.
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McKennie then found Balogun inside the area, and the danger ultimately resulted in an own goal by Paraguay defender Damian Bobadilla.
Balogun thought he had doubled the advantage midway through the first half, but the effort was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
The striker was not denied for long, however. Just three minutes later, Antonee Robinson released Pulisic down the left flank, and the captain’s cross found Balogun, who finished from close range to make it 2-0.
The hosts continued to dominate proceedings and added a third goal just before halftime through another moment of brilliance from Balogun.
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The forward collected a pass from Malik Tillman on the right side of the penalty area, skipped past two defenders and curled a superb finish into the top corner to complete his brace.
Paraguay showed signs of life in the second half when Julio Enciso created an opening for substitute Mauricio, who reduced the deficit and briefly gave the South Americans hope.
Any hopes of a Paraguay revival were quickly extinguished in stoppage time when Gio Reyna produced a moment of quality to seal the victory.
The midfielder curled a delightful effort into the far corner with the outside of his right foot to cap an impressive performance from the hosts.
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