United States striker Folarin Balogun made his season debut for AS Monaco in a 2-1 win over Lens, coming off the bench in the 76th minute. It was his first appearance since a proposed transfer to Everton collapsed due to medical concerns raised by the Premier League club. Despite Monaco’s willingness to explore other options, Balogun remains with the Ligue 1 leaders, who are unbeaten at the top of the table.

The 25-year-old had not played competitively since the 2026 World Cup, where he scored three goals and was involved in a controversial red-card incident later overturned by FIFA. Monaco coach Filipe Luis praised the team’s start, while Lens coach Dino Toppmöller was dismissed after six games. Balogun was omitted from Mauricio Pochettino’s first USMNT roster post-World Cup.

Paris Brunner scored Monaco’s opener, with Matthieu Udol equalizing for Lens before Jonathan Gradit’s own goal sealed the win. Brunner faces possible sanction for a throat-slitting gesture in a prior match.