Folarin Balogun brace helps USA cruise past Paraguay in World Cup opener

Tournament co-hosts United States kicked off their World Cup campaign in style as a clinical first-half performance laid the foundations for a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Paraguay at the Los Angeles Stadium. Mauricio Pochettino’s side gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about, capitalising on defensive errors to signal their intent in Group D.

It took just seven minutes for the partisan crowd in California to find their voices. Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie combined beautifully to unlock the defence, forcing Paraguay midfielder Damian Bobadilla into turning the ball into his own net. The early setback completely derailed the visitors’ tactical plans, allowing the energetic hosts to control the tempo from midfield.

Folarin Balogun then took centre stage to put the game to bed before the interval. The Monaco striker opened his World Cup account in the 31st minute, showing superb composure to slot home after Pulisic again cut open the Paraguayan backline. Balogun doubled his tally deep into first-half stoppage time, cutting inside onto his left foot to fire an unstoppable effort into the top corner.

Paraguay showed signs of life after the break and capitalised on a rare lapse in the American defence. Substitute Mauricio found space inside the area to pull one back in the 73rd minute, momentarily silencing the stadium.

However, any hope of a comeback was extinguished in the dying embers. In the eighth minute of stoppage time, substitute Giovanni Reyna capped off a superb team move, unleashing a brilliant long-range strike that flew past the goalkeeper.

The 4-1 scoreline equals the USA’s largest-ever margin of victory at a World Cup, ensuring they head into their second match against Australia brimming with confidence.

Cover Photo: vintage USA Flag and blue sky” by DWilliam’s is marked with CC0 1.0 .