Achraf Hakimi has suggested Paris Saint-Germain lost the Trophée des Champions to forces outside their control. Goal reported on Sunday night that the defender criticised a lack of neutrality around the final, which RC Lens won 1-0. beIN Sports reported that Florian Thauvin scored the only goal. Lens lifted the French Super Cup for the first time.
What Achraf Hakimi said after the final
Goal carried Hakimi’s verdict that the Super Cup had been lost to circumstances beyond Paris’s control, with the Morocco international questioning how even-handed the occasion had been. The same outlet reports that the LFP, which stages the fixture, is now facing fierce criticism over a final it describes as controversial. Paris have not lodged any formal complaint that has been reported.
A night that turned on a red card
Whatever the officiating, this was a chastening evening for the holders. Flashscore reported that Lens spent a stretch of the night down to ten men and held on regardless, while Goal reported that Nuno Mendes was shown a red card for misconduct. Chosun reported that the defeat ended a four-year run of Super Cup wins for Paris.
Luis Enrique was without two forwards, too. This Is Anfield reported that Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye were left out of the squad amid Liverpool interest, with talks between the clubs still live. Neither absence decides a final on its own, but a matchday squad two attackers light tells its own story.
Paris will get their reply on the pitch soon enough. The club published its first-team media schedule for 17 to 23 August on Monday, and with the season ahead to be navigated, Les Parisiens have little time to sit with a grudge.
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