Hakimi Hat-Trick Seals PSG 5-1 Win at Le Havre
Achraf Hakimi scored the first hat-trick of his career as Paris Saint-Germain thrashed bottom-placed Le Havre 5-1 in Ligue 1 on Friday night. The Morocco captain had a hand in all five PSG goals, scoring three and setting up two, in a performance his coach called the work of a striker when his team has the ball.
PSG fell behind early at the Stade Oceane, but they recovered quickly and ran away with the match in the second half. The win was their ninth in a row in all competitions, and it kept them top of the Ligue 1 table with 20 points from nine games.
How the Hakimi hat-trick unfolded
Le Havre gave PSG a fright in the opening minutes. The home side surged forward in numbers, and striker Josh Maja hammered in the opener against the run of play in the 18th minute. For a few minutes, the bottom club dared to believe.
PSG answered in quick time. Belgian winger Mika Godts raced on to a Hakimi through-ball to level the score in the 26th minute. Two minutes later, Hakimi left the Le Havre defence trailing and beat goalkeeper Arnaud Bodart at the near post with a low drive to make it 2-1.
The second half belonged to Hakimi. He curled a free kick low into the bottom corner in the 55th minute for his second goal and PSG’s third. Then he turned provider again, slipping a through-ball to Senny Mayulu, who rounded the stranded Bodart and finished into an empty net in the 62nd minute.
Hakimi completed his hat-trick in the 69th minute, threading a shot through a crowd of players after fine work by Godts on the left. He had barely finished celebrating when coach Luis Enrique took him off, with Boly replacing him in the 71st minute.
“He’s a striker when we have the ball. He’s free to do that when we are in possession, but obliged to defend when we aren’t,” Luis Enrique said after the match.
A record night for a full-back
The numbers behind the Hakimi hat-trick explain why it drew so much praise. Hakimi became the first defender to be directly involved in five goals in a single Ligue 1 match since Opta began analysing the competition in 2006-07. Only a small group of attackers, including Neymar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe, had reached five goal involvements in one Ligue 1 game before him.
The night was also a sharp break with Hakimi’s own recent form in the league. He had failed to register a single goal involvement in his first seven Ligue 1 appearances this season, and he had never been involved in more than two goals in a single Ligue 1 game in 135 appearances before facing Le Havre. Against Le Havre, he managed three goals and two assists from a full-back position.
PSG were far from full strength. Luis Enrique left Desire Doue, Vitinha and Joao Neves on the bench, while Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were missing through injury. The rotated side still had too much quality for a Le Havre team that has now lost five games in a row and sits bottom with two points.
What the result means for the title race
Frequently asked questions
What was the score between Le Havre and PSG?
Paris Saint-Germain won 5-1 at Le Havre. Josh Maja gave Le Havre an 18th-minute lead, Mika Godts equalised in the 26th minute, Hakimi scored in the 28th, 55th and 69th minutes, and Senny Mayulu scored in the 62nd minute.
Was this Hakimi’s first career hat-trick?
Yes. The three goals against Le Havre were the first hat-trick of Achraf Hakimi’s professional career, for club or country.
What record did Hakimi set?
He became the first defender to be directly involved in five goals in a single Ligue 1 match since Opta began analysing the competition in 2006-07, with three goals and two assists.
Where does the win leave PSG in Ligue 1?
PSG top the table with 20 points after nine games, two points ahead of Lille, with Monaco able to join Lille on 18 points if they beat Paris FC on Sunday.
