Folarin Balogun made a splashy World Cup debut, scoring two goals as the United States opened with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday night in front of a sold-out crowd of 70,492 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Balogun’s Big Night

Balogun, who was born in New York City to Nigerian parents and grew up in London, became the first U.S. player to score multiple goals in a World Cup game since 1930. He joined Arsenal’s academy at age 8 and represented England at the youth level before committing to play for the U.S. three years ago.

The 24-year-old striker’s goals came in the 21st and 45th minutes, with Christian Pulisic providing the assist on the first goal. Pulisic tied for fourth most in U.S. history with his 21st career assist.

Balogun’s performance was praised by his teammates, with Pulisic saying, ‘The kid’s insane. He’s lethal right now. We’re really lucky to have him.’

The U.S. took a 1-0 lead on an own goal by Damian Bobadilla before Balogun extended the lead to 2-0. He nearly had another goal, but it was called back when the U.S. was offside.

Undeterred, Balogun scored again just before halftime, putting the ball in the upper left corner for a 3-0 lead. The U.S. added a fourth goal in the second half to seal the victory.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.