Achraf Hakimi produced a rare five-goal contribution game as Paris Saint Germain beat Le Havre 5-1 on Friday. The right-back scored three times, set up the other two and did it all in 71 minutes, a level of involvement that decided the match after PSG had fallen behind. It also kept PSG top of Ligue 1 after nine matches with 20 points and a 21-10 goal difference.

Hakimi's numbers tell the story quickly enough. He finished with three goals, two assists and a 9.1 rating, and the minutes matter too because he was off after 71. PSG did not just get a productive full-back here, they got the entire attacking output from one side of the pitch.

Hakimi's five-goal contribution

The game had started badly for PSG when Josh Maja gave Le Havre the lead in the 18th minute. The response came fast, and Hakimi was at the centre of all of it.

He scored in the 28th minute, struck again in the 55th and completed his hat-trick in the 69th. He also assisted PSG's other two goals in the 5-1 win, which is the part that really separates this from a standard hat-trick. A right-back can have an explosive game in transition or arrive at the back post once or twice. Being directly involved in every goal is something else.

There is a small reporting gap around the description of the 55th-minute strike, but not around the essentials. The scorer and the minute are consistent across reports, and the broader point does not change. Hakimi owned the decisive phase of the match.

Luis Enrique, quoted by Foot Mercato in comments translated from French, said: "We know his quality perfectly. He is a striker. He is higher than the strikers sometimes. He is the best right-back in the world. I am not excited about his three goals. What I like is to see him at the very highest level all the time,"

That description fits the role as much as the output. Hakimi was not simply overlapping from deep and picking moments. He was playing high enough, often enough, to become a genuine final-third threat throughout the game.

Luis Enrique's role for Hakimi

Hakimi's own explanation points in the same direction. Speaking to Foot Mercato in comments translated from French, he said: "It's incredible for a full-back! My training? It's that of a full-back. Then the coach helped me a lot, by giving me freedom, to take space, to cover for me when I am in attack. I am happy and comfortable, on the pitch I feel very good. I feel comfortable playing with these teammates, it's easy. On the pitch, I am well in front of goal. I try to enjoy myself,"

That freedom has clearly played a part in pushing him into more advanced spaces. When a coach is happy for his right-back to operate higher than the forwards at times, the trade-off is obvious. You need protection behind the ball and trust in the structure around him. On this night, PSG got the reward without paying much of a price after the early setback.

The selection context makes that worth noticing too. Nuno Mendes was absent from the match sheet, while Vitinha and João Neves stayed on the bench for the full 90 minutes. Even with rotation, PSG still had enough control to turn the game around and then run away from Le Havre.

Senny Mayulu supplied one of the finishes Hakimi created, and the wider point for PSG is that the system still held up with changes around the side. This was their sixth straight league victory, which makes the comeback feel less like a one-off surge and more like part of a settled run.

PSG's bigger takeaway from the win

Hakimi will take the headlines because a right-back scoring three and assisting two is absurd by any standard. PSG, though, will be just as pleased with how little the game spun away from them after conceding first.

Le Havre are bottom after nine matches with two points, nine goals scored and 20 conceded, and they came into this one on five straight league defeats. PSG still had to respond properly after Maja's opener, and they did, flipping the game inside 10 minutes and finishing with a scoreline that matched the gap in quality.

The result also kept Luis Enrique's side top of the table after nine matches. The standout image from Le Havre vs Paris Saint Germain will be Hakimi charging into attacking spaces again and again, because PSG won 5-1 and every goal went through him.

FAQ

Why was Achraf Hakimi so dangerous for PSG against Le Havre?

Hakimi had unusual freedom to attack and made full use of it in PSG's 5-1 win. He scored in the 28th, 55th and 69th minutes, assisted PSG's other two goals and was taken off after 71 minutes. Luis Enrique said Hakimi is sometimes higher than the strikers, while the player himself said the coach gives him freedom to take space and covers for him when he attacks.

Did Achraf Hakimi really contribute to every PSG goal against Le Havre?

Yes, that is how the performance is presented by the cited reports in this piece. Hakimi scored three times and assisted PSG's other two goals in PSG's 5-1 win at Le Havre, so he was directly involved in all five. There is no competing version in the material used here against that broad claim.

How strong is PSG's Ligue 1 form after beating Le Havre?

The win kept PSG top of Ligue 1 after nine matches with 20 points and a 21-10 goal difference. It was also their sixth straight league victory. The result mattered beyond one standout display because PSG recovered from conceding first and still finished with a four-goal margin.

What did Luis Enrique say about Achraf Hakimi after PSG beat Le Havre?

Speaking to Foot Mercato in comments translated from French, Luis Enrique praised Hakimi's role and quality. He said: "We know his quality perfectly. He is a striker. He is higher than the strikers sometimes. He is the best right-back in the world." The quote fits the way PSG used Hakimi in the match, with the full-back heavily involved high up the pitch.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →