Folarin Balogun became AS Monaco’s hero on Tuesday against Galatasaray, as the former Arsenal striker scored the lone goal to lift the French side in the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League table. Beyond securing the three points, Balogun also reached a historic USMNT milestone in the competition that even Christian Pulisic never managed to hit.
Monaco were one of the teams featured on Matchday 6 of the current Champions League, taking on a Galatasaray side that had already earned impressive wins over Liverpool and Ajax. After Denis Zakaria missed a penalty in the 50th minute, Balogun pounced on a rebound in the box off a corner to score in the 68th minute, delivering the decisive strike and etching his name into USMNT history.
With his goal against Galatasaray, Folarin Balogun became the first USMNT player ever to score in three straight UEFA Champions League matches. The striker previously found the net in the 1-0 win over FK Bodø/Glimt and again in the 2-2 draw against Pafos FC, completing the record-setting streak on Tuesday against the Turkish club.
USMNT players have taken on increasingly prominent roles in Europe in recent years, particularly in the Champions League, where Timothy Weah also became just the second American to score against Real Madrid after Pulisic. Now, with Balogun’s stellar form, he extends that trend, helping push Monaco to 18th place with nine points and a spot in the playoff round.
Folarin Balogun of AS Monaco battles for the ball with Brandon Mechele of Club Brugge.
Christian Pulisic and multiple times on the edge of history
More than a decade after he arrived at Borussia Dortmund and broke into European soccer, Pulisic remains the most influential USMNT representative in the Champions League. In addition to being the American with the most appearances in the competition at 63, he also leads all USMNT players with 12 goals.
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Pulisic never managed the streak Balogun just set, but he came close on several occasions. During his Chelsea tenure, he scored in both legs of the 2021–22 round of 16 matchup against Lille, playing a key role in sending the club through. However, he was unable to find a third straight goal in the next round against Real Madrid.
Another brief scoring run came after his move to AC Milan, though across different editions. Pulisic scored in Milan’s final match of the 2023–24 campaign against Newcastle United, then found the net again in the opening match of the 2024–25 tournament against Liverpool. That streak also ended at two, this time across two different seasons.
