Hakimi shines for Paris Saint-Germain in victory over hopeless Marseille


Sunday, September 24, 2023 at 10:35 PM• Jonathan van Haaster

Paris Saint-Germain easily defeated Olympique Marseille on Sunday evening. For the Parisians, Achraf Hakimi played a leading role in the eventual 4-0 victory. The Moroccan opened the score by shooting home a free kick. With the second goal, the right back hit the post with a shot from a great distance, after which the rebound was prey for Randal Kolo Muani. After halftime, Gonçalo Ramos, who came in for the injured Kylian Mbappé, ended the game with a double. PSG rises to fourth place in Ligue 1 with the three-point goal. Marseille remains stuck in ninth place.

PSG coach Luis Enrique opted for a three-man forward line, consisting of Ousmane Dembélé, Kolo Muani and Kylian Mbappé. In midfield, youngsters Warren Zaire-Emery and Bradley Barcola were given a starting place next to the centrally operating Manuel Ugarte. Hakimi (right) and Lucas Hernández (left) were the backs, while goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma played central defenders Milan Skriniar and Marquinhos. At Marseille, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who scored twice against Ajax (3-3) in midweek, was at the point of attack with Vitinha. Trainer Jacques Abardonado hoped to limit the damage with a five-man midfield.

The visitors held on until the eighth minute. Mbappé was lightly touched by Leonardo Balerdi, giving PSG a free kick around the edge of the box. Hakimi decided to try and saw his effort hit the ropes hard: 1-0. Despite the big downer, PSG had opportunities in the person of Vitinha. First of all, Marquinhos made a crucial intervention and ten minutes later his header hit the crossbar. PSG’s threat was never far away, although it did not create many concrete opportunities.

A major setback was the retirement of Mbappé, who was injured after a sprint and was replaced by Ramos. With the Portuguese inside the lines, PSG doubled the margin ten minutes before half-time and Hakimi was important again. The Moroccan shot hard against the post from about 25 meters, after which the rebound was prey for Kolo Muani: 2-0. Hakimi hit the post again in the next attack, although this time he was offside.

The second half had barely started when PSG finally ended the game. Dembélé gave a sharp pass to Ramos, who found the net with an acrobatic header: 3-0. The early goal after halftime did not improve the tempo. PSG didn’t have to anymore and that was noticeable in the sharpness of the home team. Marseille, in turn, could not make a fist. Hakimi received an audience substitution from Enrique ten minutes before the end. Those present treated the Moroccan to a standing ovation and were rewarded with a fourth goal in the final phase. Kolo Muani countered and laid off to Ramos, who tapped in his second of the evening.

No. Team M W G V +/- Pnt
1 Stade Brest 6 4 1 1 2 13
2 OGC Nice 6 3 3 0 4 12
3 Paris Saint Germain 6 3 2 1 8 11
4 AS Monaco 6 3 2 1 7 11
5 Strasbourg 6 3 1 2 -1 10
6 Le Havre 6 2 3 1 3 9
7 Olympique Marseille 6 2 3 1 -1 9
8 Stade Rennes 6 1 5 0 4 8
9 Nantes 6 2 2 2 0 8
10 Lille OSC 5 2 2 1 0 8
11 Metz 6 2 2 2 -3 8
12 Reims 5 2 1 2 2 7
13 Montpellier 6 1 3 2 0 6
14 Lorient 6 1 3 2 -2 6
15 Toulouse 6 1 3 2 -2 6
16 RC Lens 6 1 1 4 -6 4
17 Olympique Lyon 6 0 2 4 -8 2
18 Clermont 6 0 1 5 -7 1