'If his name was Messi...': Ex-US star calls Balogun’s red card a 'crap call'
Santa Clara, US: The United States booked its place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 with a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the biggest talking point after the match was the controversial red card shown to striker Folarin Balogun.
Balogun enjoyed another impressive outing before his night took a dramatic turn. The forward scored his third goal of the tournament before being sent off in the second half for planting his foot on Tarik Muharemović’s ankle during a challenge.
The dismissal means Balogun will miss the United States’ Round of 16 clash against Belgium through suspension.
Despite the sending-off, Balogun continued his remarkable World Cup campaign. His third goal saw him join Bert Patenaude (four goals in 1930) and Landon Donovan (three goals in 2010) as only the third American to score three or more goals in a single FIFA World Cup edition, according to Opta.
He also became just the fourth player to score and be sent off in a FIFA World Cup knockout match after Zinedine Zidane (2006 final), Ronaldinho (2002 quarter-final) and Garrincha (1962 semi-final).
Following the match, former United States defender Alexi Lalas strongly criticised the referee’s decision, claiming Argentina captain Lionel Messi had escaped punishment for a similar challenge earlier in the tournament.
“That is not a red card,” Lalas said on the State of the Union Podcast as quoted by Goal.com. “I understand that in the moment it looks bad, and when you see it on video it looks bad. But you have to have a feel and understanding of what’s going on. I thought it was a crap call.”
“It should be said that if his name was Messi, as we have seen earlier in the tournament, he would still be on the field and he would still be able to play in Seattle on Monday,” he continued.
United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino also defended Balogun, insisting the incident was accidental and should not have resulted in a dismissal.
“Never was this a red card. Watching it on TV, never was there intention to step on the player,” Pochettino told reporters after the match, as quoted by Reuters.
“That was a normal action in football. That happened by accident, and it is never intentional. That is why for me it was never a red card,” he added.
The American coach revealed Balogun was disappointed after the incident but had already shifted his focus to the team’s qualification.
“But he is also happy because we qualified… He needs to understand that this type of situation happens. I hope that, for sure, he is going to be able to help us again. I hope that we go to the next round,” he added.
Balogun had earlier opened the scoring just before half-time after latching onto Sergiño Dest’s pass and firing past goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj. He also struck the crossbar moments later after dominating the first half with his movement and attacking threat.
Reduced to 10 men after Balogun’s dismissal in the 61st minute, the United States still finished comfortably, with Malik Tillman sealing the 2-0 win in the 82nd minute to send the Americans into the next round.