Red Hot Balogun! Arsenal loanee overtakes Mbappe to become Ligue 1 top scorer with hat-trick for Reims

Reims' Folarin Balogun bagged a hat-trick against Lorient on Wednesday afternoon, making him Ligue 1 top scorer with 14 goals in just 18 starts.

Balogun scored just before half-time and twice in quick succession midway through the second half to momentarily overtake Kylian Mbappe in the Ligue 1 Golden Boot race.

The Arsenal loanee is on fire of late, and has now scored five goals in his last three games. He netted a dramatic late equaliser against PSG, leaving Mbappe, who failed to get on the scoresheet, left to rue missed opportunities.

Balogun has been a steady provider of goals for Reims this season, scoring 14 times in Ligue 1 to push his team towards an unlikely top-half finish. Although he is currently atop the Ligue 1 scoring charts, Mbappe could retake his lead with a brace against Montpellier later Wednesday.

What Reims Manager Said:

 “He is a super complete striker,"  William Still said after his late heroics against PSG. "He is able to play with his back to goal, in depth. It is technically very clean. He scores, he is decisive.”