Achraf Hakimi stays on cloud nine

In Paris, there have been plenty of problems since the restart after the World Cup. The capital club are no longer as dominant as they were early in the season, and senior players such as Neymar and Mbappé are dealing with a few physical knocks. Amid the gloom, there are one or two bright spots. And Achraf Hakimi is one of them. Riding the wave of his excellent performances in Qatar at the 2022 World Cup, the Atlas Lion is shining for Paris. On Saturday 4 February, in the 22nd round of Ligue 1 fixtures, he played a major part in the Paris win over Toulouse.

Toulouse had taken the lead in the 29th minute through a sublime free-kick from Branco van den Bommen, before Hakimi levelled before the break (39th). He too scored a superb left-footed goal. The Moroccan did not stop there. In the second half, he was again behind the goal that won it for Paris. Messi benefited from a slalom run by the right-back to fire an unstoppable left-footed shot for 2-1 (58th). With this win, PSG (54 pts) provisionally move eight points clear of Marseille, who host Nice on Sunday.

⌛️ Full-time! Victory 2️⃣ - 1️⃣ 🆚 Toulouse FC!

⚽️ @AchrafHakimi 38'
⚽️ Leo Messi 58' #PSGTFC pic.twitter.com/QGAztZdpfi

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) February 4, 2023