Nigerian forward Josh Maja continued his scintillating individual goalscoring streak on Friday night, but his early brilliance were swiftly overshadowed as reigning Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain stormed back to hand bottom-placed Le Havre a crushing 5-1 defeat.
Le Havre stunned the champions in the 18th minute with a razor-sharp counterattack right off a PSG corner.
Fofana picked out Maja with a precision cross, and the 27-year-old Nigerian international finished clinically past PSG goalkeeper Safonov to give the hosts an unexpected lead.
The goal marks Maja’s second consecutive scoring match following his double in a 4-3 thriller against Marseille, taking his season total to four goals in nine appearances.
Despite Maja providing four of Le Havre’s seven total goals this season, his individual brilliance hasn’t been enough to halt a worrying five-match losing streak for the club.
Le Havre’s optimism was short-lived as PSG hit back with terrifying efficiency, led by a masterclass performance from captain Achraf Hakimi:
26th Minute (1-1): Hakimi set up Mika Godts with a perfectly weighted pass, allowing the Belgian to thread a first-time strike into the bottom-left corner.
28th Minute (2-1): Just two minutes later, Hakimi latched onto a Senny Mayulu throughball to score. Initially ruled out for offside, a VAR review overturned the call to put PSG ahead.
55th Minute (3-1): Hakimi doubled his tally with a spectacular free-kick, curling a powerful right-footed strike around the wall into the bottom-right corner.
62nd Minute (4-1): Turning provider again, Hakimi played Mayulu through, who calmly rounded an out-of-position Bodart to roll the ball into an open net from distance.
69th Minute (5-1): Hakimi sealed a historic night by securing his first career hat-trick, finishing off a pass from Godts on a second effort after Bodart saved the initial shot.
