SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Folarin Balogun’s star-turn at this World Cup went sideways early in the second half on Wednesday night, as the American forward was sent off — after a VAR review — for dragging his cleats down the back of Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic‘s leg and onto his foot.
Balogun had put the United States in front, 1-0, just before halftime with his third goal of the tournament. He looked stunned as Brazilian referee Raphael Claus first went to the monitor then, moments later, showed a red card in the 64th minute.
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Balogun trudged slowly to the dressing room, and the U.S. was forced to play the rest of the match with 10 men. He is the fifth U.S. men’s national team player to be shown a red card in the World Cup and first since 2006.
The AS Monaco striker is also the first player to score and be sent off in a World Cup knockout game since France great Zinedine Zidane was infamously shown a red card for a head-butt in the 2006 final.
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Perhaps even more pressing is what may come next: If the U.S. is able to hold their lead and advance, Balogun will likely be suspended for the round of 16 match against Belgium.
