Along with Lionel Messi, Achraf Hakimi appeared in his first Le Classique, but he didn’t see the full 90 minutes.
In the second half, Olympique de Marseille broke through the Paris Saint-Germain defense and Cengiz Ünder found himself clear on goal. Hakimi, who is known for his blistering pace, caught up with Ünder and when the two came together, it was the OM winger who went down just outside the box.
Initially, the referee waived for Ünder to get up and continue the game. However, after VAR review, it was determined that Hakimi fouled Ünder and prevented a clear goal-scoring opportunity. With that decision being made, the official had no choice but to give the PSG right-back a straight red.
In my opinion, it’s a harsh decision against PSG especially when you put it into context. Just moments before, Dimitri Payet dived in the box in an effort to win a penalty and was not given a yellow card for simulation. Then there are the Marseille supporters who threw trash at Neymar Jr. as he attempted to take a corner kick. The game was stopped for a few minutes but why not stop it entirely until the fans have been identified and removed?
As always with Le Classique, there’s plenty of talking points and always at least one red card.
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