US star Balogun's red card sparks controversy and free pizza promotion

Folarin Balogun scored for the US in a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina to reach the World Cup round of 16, but his red card in the 64th minute overshadowed the victory and triggered a $1 million Domino's Pizza giveaway. The striker was sent off after a VAR review for stepping on Tarik Muharemović's ankle, a decision widely criticized as inconsistent.

The incident

Balogun opened the scoring just before halftime, but in the second half, referee Raphael Claus initially let play continue after a collision. Upon VAR review, Claus upgraded to a straight red for violent conduct. Mauricio Pochettino, the US coach, said: "Para mí nunca es roja... Nunca ha habido intención" Source: emolcl. Captain Christian Pulisic called it "ridículo" Source: hoydo.

Comparison with Messi

Fans and pundits compared Balogun's tackle to a similar one by Lionel Messi against Algeria in the tournament opener, which went unpunished. Alexi Lalas, former US defender, posted: "por qué un incidente similar quedó sin sanción" Source: elespanol. The contrast fueled accusations of inconsistent VAR application.

Fallout

• Balogun is suspended for the round-of-16 match against Belgium, with no appeal possible Source: elespanol.
• Tyler Adams criticized FIFA: "Típico de la FIFA... cuando se ralentiza todo, siempre se ve peor" Source: hoydo.
• Domino's Pizza activated a promotion promising $1 million in free pizzas if a US player received a red card, now giving away over 60,000 medium pizzas Source: excelsiormx.
• Balogun joins Garrincha, Ronaldinho, and Zinedine Zidane as the only players to score and be sent off in a World Cup knockout match Source: hoydo.