‘Unlucky’ – USMNT star Folarin Balogun backed by Monaco boss Adi Hutter after penalty nightmare that saw him miss two spot-kicks in Nice defeat

The United States international striker endured an evening to forget on Friday when lining up against Nice at Stade Louis II. Balogun, who was handed his first start since completing a €40 million (£35m/$43m) transfer from Arsenal, had chances to make a decisive contribution to the collective cause.

He fluffed his lines badly, with two spot-kicks saved by Marcin Bulka – as Balogun was denied from 12 yards either side of half-time. Having posted a frustrating blank, Monaco ended up slipping to a 1-0 defeat.

Hutter was asked afterwards to explain his decision to start USMNT star Balogun, with that big call defended while also backing the 22-year-old to respond positively to a performance that could see his head drop.

The Monaco head coach said: “We have two number 10s who are in great form at the moment, so I was not going to play with two forwards as well. But I am not going to justify my decision every time either Ben Yedder or Balogun plays. Balogun was very good on the pitch but he was also unlucky. We will help him to bounce back. We win together and we lose together and he will help us a lot in the future.”

Balogun opened his account for Monaco in a 2-2 draw with Lorient, but is waiting on his first goal on home soil and will be hoping for another opportunity to put that right when taking in a meeting with Marseille next weekend.