In their match against Marseille in Ligue 1, Monaco made the most of their home advantage, briefly taking the lead in the French standings as spectators filled the Stade Louis II. The game’s MVP, Folarin Balogun, scored a goal and ignited the first hints of a comeback for his club.

Balogun exited the field in the 82nd minute to thunderous acclaim, capping a magnificent performance that saw Monaco win 3-2. The USMNT international is still shining on European turf.

As Iliman Ndiaye scored from close range in the opening minute of the match, Monaco was taken off guard and fell behind. After several fruitless attempts by the opposition, Monaco went up the other end to grab the equalizer seven minutes later. Akliouche entered from the left and hammered the goal in at the near post.

In the eighteenth minute, defender Samuel Gigot expertly connected with a cross from Ndiaye to smash a magnificent volley into the bottom corner, pushing Adolf Hütter’s side up against the crossbar.

Balogun was supposed to be the one to cheer everyone up and redeem the day, and he succeeded admirably. The striker received the ball on the right side of the center channel, twisted and turned to get past the defender, crossed the line, and into the area where his right foot fired a cannonball beneath Pau López in the Marseille goal, low and to the right of the goalkeeper.

52 minutes later, Akliouche scored the game’s winning goal once more. This time, it was a fantastic hit of a bouncing ball that Balogun expertly took down. The USMNT player was Monaco’s main offensive player in their thrilling comeback win that propelled them to the top of the league.