Key Highlights
Paris Saint Germain demolished Le Havre five goals to one at the Stade CMA CGM Océane, a comprehensive victory fashioned around Achraf Hakimi whose decisive contribution and three goals turned the afternoon in his side's favour.
First Half
Le Havre began brightly inside the first quarter of an hour, springing a fast break that ended with Djibril Ouziad denied and then, in the 18th minute, Josh Maja finishing a counter attack after a measured pass from Rayan Fofana to give the home side the lead. Paris Saint Germain, set up in a four three three and dominant in possession for roughly three quarters of the half, kept probing and created several high quality openings — Ferrán Torres saw a strong effort saved in the 17th minute — but their control did not translate into an early advantage. The visitors still managed to turn the game with two moments of precision: in the 26th minute Achraf Hakimi picked out Mika Godts to level, and two minutes later Hakimi himself finished a chance created by Senny Mayulu to put Paris Saint Germain ahead. Statistically the opening forty five minutes was striking — Paris Saint Germain carried most of the ball while Le Havre nonetheless matched their expected goals — and the interval arrived with Paris Saint Germain leading by two goals to one.
Second Half
After the break Paris Saint Germain continued to press and the momentum increasingly swung their way, the clearest spell coming between the forty seventh and the sixty first minute when pressure produced the key breakthrough. Hakimi curled a free kick into the net in the 55th minute, unassisted, to extend the lead and, moments later, he supplied the pass for Senny Mayulu to finish a fast break in the 62nd minute. Le Havre almost grabbed a lifeline when Josh Maja struck the post from a header in the same passage of play, but parity never returned: Hakimi completed his treble in the 69th minute from a move finished by Mika Godts. The pattern was plain in the statistics for the second half, with Paris Saint Germain creating more clear chances and keeping the pressure; Le Havre had late attempts, including a high probability shot from Rassoul Ndiaye at the death, but could not change the result. Paris Saint Germain won by five goals to one.
Closing Thoughts
The result cements Paris Saint Germain's position at the summit of Ligue One and extends Luis Enrique's winning run to six league matches, a momentum they will carry into a home fixture against Troyes on November seventh. For Le Havre the defeat is starker: it is their fifth consecutive league loss and leaves them sitting in the relegation places under Didier Digard, a fragile run they must arrest when they host Lorient next week. The scoreline exposed the gulf between the sides on the day — Paris Saint Germain's control and cutting finishing versus Le Havre's fragile defence — and it provides both teams with contrasting questions to answer as the campaign progresses.
