Folarin Balogun first American to score twice in UCL knockout

Folarin Balogun scored twice inside 18 minutes to give Monaco the early edge in their Champions League knockout round playoff with Paris Saint-Germain. The goals were his fourth and fifth in this season's competition and marked the first time an American has recorded a brace in a UCL knockout match.

His opener came inside the opening minute, as Balogun was left unmarked in the box and headed home from close range. The second arrived in the 18th minute after a one-two with Maghnes Akliouche; Balogun sped past PSG captain Marquinhos before firing into the net.

The strike continued a strong Champions League run for Balogun, who had a three-game scoring streak at the end of 2025 against Bodo/Glimt, Pafos FC and Galatasaray to help Monaco reach the knockout stage. Paul Carr of TruMediaSports highlighted that Balogun became the first American to score in a Champions League knockout phase, while Bayer Leverkusen’s Malik Tillman’s two braces came in the group stage.

folarin balogun, monaco, psg, champions league, ucl knockout, brace, marquinhos, maghnes akliouche, malik tillman, trumediasports