Hakimi Leads PSG to a Big Win Over Le Havre in Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain defeated their host Le Havre 5-1 on Friday, in the ninth round of the French football league, strengthening their position at the top of the standings.
The reigning champions, PSG, turned a deficit from a goal scored by Josh Maja into a five-goal victory, with goals from the Belgian Mika Gots, the Moroccan Achraf Hakimi (three goals), and Senny Mayulu.
With this win, Paris Saint-Germain's tally rose to 20 points in first place, 4 points ahead of second-placed Lille, while Le Havre remains at the bottom of the table with only two points.
Paris Saint-Germain will play against Troyes in the next round, while Le Havre will face Lorient.
In another match, Nice defeated Rennes 5-2, with Ivorian Elye Wahi scoring three goals for Nice, Algerian Mohamed Amoura scoring one, and another by the Frenchman Jonathan Clauss, while Rennes' two goals were scored by Polish player Sebastian Szymański and Senegalese player Boulaye Dia.
The win raised Nice's score to 14 points in eighth place, while Rennes has 16 points in third place.
Le Havre surprised their visitor, PSG, with the opening goal in the 18th minute after a cross from Ryan Fofana was converted by Josh Maja into the net.
However, Paris quickly responded with an equalizer through Gots from a pass by the standout Senny Mayulu right in front of the goal in the 26th minute.
The VAR confirmed the goal's validity after doubts about a possible offside against the Belgian striker.
Two minutes later, Hakimi chased a ball behind the defenders from Mayulu, shooting into the tight angle to score the second goal and put Paris Saint-Germain ahead.
Hakimi scored again, this time from a well-executed free kick in the 55th minute, before Mayulu added the fourth goal in the 62nd minute from a swift counter-attack. He went one-on-one with the goalkeeper from midfield, rounded him, and scored into the empty net, less than a minute after a dangerous attempt by Le Havre hit the right post of the Russian goalkeeper Safonov.
Hakimi then completed the five-goal rout and his hat-trick from a cross by Mika Gots in front of the goal, which he tapped into the net in the 69th minute.
And PSG coach Luis Enrique became the coach with the most wins in the club's history, with 127 victories across all competitions.
Source: DPA
