A defender's hat-trick: Hakimi scores three and assists two as PSG rout Le Havre 5-1
Achraf Hakimi, one of modern football's finest attacking full-backs, has scored a hat-trick. Playing for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in a Ligue 1 match against Le Havre, the Moroccan defender scored three goals and assisted the other two, as PSG thrashed Le Havre 5-1.
Yet the match had begun the other way. In the 18th minute, forward Josh Maja scored to give Le Havre the lead, putting the French and European champions behind.
The equaliser came just eight minutes later. In the 26th minute, Mika Godts levelled for PSG from a Hakimi assist. Two minutes later Hakimi scored himself to make it 2-1.
After the break, in the 55th minute, Hakimi curled a fine free-kick into the net from 20 yards. The defender, who had not scored this season before this match, completed his hat-trick in the 69th minute; that goal sealed the 5-1 win for the French giants.
Seven minutes before the hat-trick goal, in the 62nd minute, Senny Mayulu had scored the team's fourth goal from another Hakimi pass. In other words, Hakimi had a direct hand in all five PSG goals — three goals and two assists.
This was PSG's ninth straight win in all competitions under coach Luis Enrique, and their sixth straight league win — despite taking only one point from their first three matches of the season.
With 20 points from nine matches, PSG now top Ligue 1. Olympique Lille are second, two points behind.
Two of PSG's main stars, Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, were already sidelined through injury. Against bottom-side Le Havre, coach Luis Enrique made five changes to the side from the last match against Lyon.
