{"id":37941,"date":"2026-07-02T04:17:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T04:17:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/02\/former-arsenal-star-sent-off-after-celebrating-lebron-james-in-world-cup-match-soccer-sports\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T04:17:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T04:17:37","slug":"former-arsenal-star-sent-off-after-celebrating-lebron-james-in-world-cup-match-soccer-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/02\/former-arsenal-star-sent-off-after-celebrating-lebron-james-in-world-cup-match-soccer-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Arsenal star sent off after celebrating LeBron James in World Cup match | Soccer | Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun was sent off during America&#8217;s World Cup win over Bosna and Herzegovina. The 24-year-old scored the opening goal in his country&#8217;s 2-0 win over San Francisco.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Balogun thought he had given the Americans the lead with a left-footed shot in the 31st minute, but he immediately performed &#8220;The Silencer&#8221; celebration made famous by NBA icon LeBron James.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>The routine included a signature sequence of stomping, chest-pounding and roaring, but the goal was ruled out for offside.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Undaunted, Balogun scored again just 14 minutes later, but this time there was no offside flag to spoil his chance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Balogun once again unleashed a &#8216;silencer&#8217; celebration and his determination paid off not only on the pitch but also on social media.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>James himself praised Balogun&#8217;s celebration on Twitter, writing, &#8220;LFG!!!!!!!!!!!! The (Silencer) (landed) the World Cup! Great goal there! Young (King)! (Salute). Go (USA).&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>The NBA icon famously introduced the &#8220;silencer&#8221; after making the decisive 3-point shot that clinched the Miami Heat&#8217;s victory over the Boston Celtics in 2013, and has since introduced it in countless high-stakes moments throughout his illustrious career.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>However, midway through the second half, Balogun was shown a red card for a challenge on defender Tarik Muharemovic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>The referee initially did not give the former Arsenal striker a red card, but the decision was overturned and he was directed to watch the pitchside monitor where Balogun&#8217;s match ended early.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>As a result, Balogun will be suspended for one match and will miss the last-16 match against Belgium in Seattle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Balogun, who has already scored three goals, may next appear in a World Cup in the quarter-finals against Spain, Austria, Portugal and Croatia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/sport\/football\/2224286\/world-cup-usa-balogun-red-card-lebron\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun was sent off during America&#8217;s World Cup win over Bosna and Herzegovina. The 24-year-old scored the opening goal in his country&#8217;s 2-0 win over San Francisco. Balogun thought he had given the Americans the lead with a left-footed shot in the 31st minute, but he immediately performed &#8220;The Silencer&#8221; celebration<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-37941","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-matches"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Former Arsenal star sent off after celebrating LeBron James in World Cup match | Soccer | Sports - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/02\/former-arsenal-star-sent-off-after-celebrating-lebron-james-in-world-cup-match-soccer-sports\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Former Arsenal star sent off after celebrating LeBron James in World Cup match | Soccer | Sports - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun was sent off during America&#8217;s World Cup win over Bosna and Herzegovina. 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