LOS ANGELES, June 13 — Folarin Balogun’s brace and the tournament’s first own goal lifted co-host the United States to a 4-1 win over Paraguay in the Group D opener of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
After a star-studded pre-match ceremony at the Los Angeles Stadium, the U.S. pressed high against Paraguay, who returns to the World Cup for the first time since 2010.
A dream start came seven minutes in, when Weston McKennie’s pass was deflected by Paraguay defender Damian Bobadilla into his own net for the tournament’s first own goal.
Balogun thought he had doubled the lead in the 28th minute, only for the effort to be ruled offside. He struck again three minutes later, finishing after a fine run and cross from Christian Pulisic to make it 2-0.
Just before halftime, Malik Tillman’s through ball found Balogun, who beat two defenders and slotted into the top-left corner to complete his brace.
Paraguay regained momentum early in the second half, creating several threats. In the 53rd minute, a remarkable VAR intervention saw U.S. captain Tim Ream’s yellow card rescinded in a World Cup first.
Dutch referee Danny Makkelie initially cautioned Ream for a challenge on Miguel Almiron, but was sent to the pitchside monitor after a “mistaken identity” review. Replays showed that Ream made no contact and Almiron had dived. The yellow card was transferred to the Paraguay winger for simulation, marking the first use of FIFA’s new mistaken identity protocol at a World Cup.
Paraguay eventually pulled a goal back through Mauricio in the 73rd minute, before Giovanni Reyna scored a last minute goal to seal a 4-1 win.
“I just got a bit of a kick in the calf area,” Pulisic, who was substituted at halftime, said in the mixed zone. “I’m hoping I’ll be fine in the next few days. I’m staying positive.”
“I’m so honored to be here representing my country playing in the World Cup. I don’t need any more motivation. We haven’t accomplished anything yet, [and] there’s still a lot more we want to do,” the midfielder added.
“It’s an honor to lead the team and just to be part of the group is a huge honor,” Ream told FIFA after the match. “We’ve put in a lot of work and the guys have done a lot to get to this point. To put in a performance like that and get three points and start the way we have is everything that we wanted.”
Australia and Türkiye will play the other Group D match in Vancouver on Saturday. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
