Achraf Hakimi reminded Real Madrid precisely what they let go. The Moroccan full-back was electric as Paris Saint-Germain exposed a brittle Madrid side in a semi-final that felt over within 20 minutes.
Two early goals – the first involving Raul Asencio, the second featuring a misstep from Antonio Rüdiger – handed PSG the advantage. From there, it was Hakimi’s stage. Stretching Madrid’s right flank like elastic, he carved open spaces, forced errors, and never stopped running.
Even Thibaut Courtois, rarely one for finger-pointing, admitted the damage was self-inflicted – and partly due to the freedom afforded to PSG’s No.2.
“When I watch the game again,” Courtois said post-match, “I see we gave Hakimi too much space. We weren’t pressing well as a unit, and that hurt us.”
Madrid’s press, usually suffocating, was sluggish. Hakimi exploited it with glee, popping up behind lines, dragging defenders wide, and linking neatly with Ousmane Dembélé, who received warm praise from Courtois too.
“I told him after the game that he presses too much. It gives you no time to think,” said the Belgian keeper. “We need to press better together. Today, it just wasn’t there.”
While PSG dazzled, Madrid looked dazed. “We were a bit off the pace,” Courtois admitted. “At speed, they beat you. When you’re spread out on the pitch with so much space, against a team like them, it’s difficult.”
The Moroccan full-back, once of this very Madrid setup, was instrumental in the chaos with his technical brilliance, and timely overlapping runs.
