Achraf Hakimi produced one of the performances of the European season on Friday, scoring a hat-trick from right-back as Paris Saint-Germain thrashed bottom side Le Havre 5-1 in Ligue 1. The Morocco international’s treble headlined a ruthless display by the reigning champions, who overwhelmed their struggling visitors from the first whistle.
Hakimi: A Full-Back Playing Like a Forward
Hakimi’s role at PSG has always been attacking in spirit, but a hat-trick from defence is rare at any level. His speed on the overlap, timing into the box and finishing quality make him effectively an extra winger, and Le Havre never solved the problem of who should track him. Each goal increased the sense that this was a career night for a player already considered the best in his position in the world. Fans can follow the European football picture in our sport section.
Champions Flex Their Depth
For PSG, the result was routine in outcome and ominous in manner. Champions are judged less by whether they beat bottom sides than by the hunger they show while doing it, and a 5-1 win built on relentless pressing suggests a squad in no mood to coast. The performance also spreads confidence through the team: when defenders are scoring hat-tricks, opponents must prepare for threats from everywhere, which stretches game plans before a ball is kicked.
Le Havre’s Long Season
For Le Havre, the mathematics of survival grows harder with every heavy defeat, and confidence is the first casualty of results like this. Their task now is to quarantine the match, because seasons are saved against fellow strugglers, not against champions in this mood. The game featured in the latest sports news round-up of the weekend’s football, where Hakimi’s treble was the standout individual story. PSG march on; Le Havre must regroup quickly, with the fixtures offering no kindness. Tactically, the performance showcased the modern full-back’s evolution. Hakimi defends his flank, provides the width of a winger and finishes like a striker, a combination made possible by extraordinary athleticism and a system that covers the space he vacates. Coaches across Europe study his role precisely because so few players can reproduce it. For young defenders, the message of nights like this is clear: the position’s ceiling has been rebuilt, and it now includes hat-tricks in championship processions.
Hat-tricks belong to strikers in the record books, which is why Hakimi’s will be replayed for years. PSG’s 5-1 win was a team statement, but its defining image is a right-back celebrating his third goal of the night. PSG will face sterner examinations than a home game against the league’s bottom side, but confidence is a currency too. Right now, with their right-back scoring hat-tricks, the champions look rich in it.
