SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – Folarin Balogun’s World Cup Round of 32 night was a roller coaster of emotions.
The tournament began with his third goal of the tournament against Bosnia and Herzegovina, leading the United States, but it ended prematurely when he was given a red card early in the second half, forcing him to miss the next game.
“To be honest, it’s very disappointing,” teammate Christian Pulisic said after Wednesday’s game. Won 2-0. “It seems very harsh for us to take that. He has given us so much and now we have his back. If he has to miss the next game, something like that it would be absolutely ridiculous.”
Balogun celebrated his goal with a silencer move, twice used by the NBA’s LeBron James, but the first time he put the ball in the net, the goal was disallowed for offside.
He received a red card from Brazilian referee Rafael Klaus for stepping on Tarik Muharemovic’s right ankle. Kraus initially did not sign the card, but after a video review he showed Balogun the red.
“It was never intentional,” U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino said. “It was never a red card. Never. … If the goal was to damage the opponent, I understand. But that never happened. Fighting for the ball and landing with your feet is normal in soccer.”
Balogun became the third player to score and be sent off in a World Cup final, following Ronaldinho of Brazil in the 2002 quarter-final against England and Zinedine Zidane of France in the 2006 final against Italy.
“That’s a pretty impressive record,” teammate Chris Richards said.
Balogun will serve an automatic one-match suspension for Monday’s Round of 16 match against Belgium. There is no appeal procedure for red card suspensions unless FIFA assesses multi-match penalties.
Teammate Weston McKennie disagreed with the decision following the video review, calling the lack of an appeals process “a sham.”
“Obviously the referee made his own decision, but I doubt that,” McKennie said. “I think there were a lot of other plays like that against other players during the tournament that didn’t get any cards at all. It’s unfortunate.”
Following the decision, Balogun was consoled on the field by Pulisic and Bosnian defender Sead Kolasinac, before returning to celebrate with his teammates after the game. He even shook hands with officials despite calls against him.
Going forward, the U.S. will likely rely on either Ricardo Pepi or Haji Wright against Belgium.
“This is a difficult decision,” Wright said of the call. “I think in this heat, still images (photos) look worse than live. But I’m always ready and ready to do my best for the team.”
Balogun’s goal in the 31st minute was ruled out for offside, but Balogun put the Americans ahead in the 45th minute when Bosnia’s Stepan Radejic tried to slide clear Malik Tillman’s pass and it was deflected off course.
The ball hit Muharemovic’s leg and bounced in front of Balogun. Balogun scored his third goal of the tournament and 12th for his country, using his left foot to slot the ball between goalkeeper Nicolas Vasili and the far post.
James, 41, the NBA’s career scoring leader, organized the celebration to calm a hostile crowd. James also celebrated on social media.
Balogun tied Landon Donovan in 2010 for the second-most goals by an American player at the World Cup, behind Bert Patenaud’s four goals in the inaugural tournament in 1930.
Balogun was the fifth American to receive a red card in a World Cup, following Erik Winalda against Czechoslovakia in 1990, Fernando Clavijo against Brazil in 1994, and Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope against Italy in 2006.
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