Images are sometimes worth far more than words. The ones showing the exhausted players from Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, suffering from cramps at the end of 90 minutes of a gruelling clash, are a good example of this. But whilst for some, a good night’s sleep, a few massages and some well-deserved rest will be sufficient to revitalise them, this might well not be enough for Achraf Hakimi.
What happened to Achraf Hakimi?
After going down in a challenge with Konrad Laimer in the dying moments of the match, the PSG player – a key member of Luis Enrique’s squad – initially struggled to get back to his feet before limping off the pitch. However, with his manager unable to make a further substitution – having already used all three of his slots – Hakimi had to grit his teeth and carry on.
Repositioned at the front of the attack to avoid leaving a gaping hole in the defence, the Moroccan saw his young teammate Senny Mayulu take his place on the right flank.
“Any news on Hakimi? I don’t know anything. Tomorrow, we’ll see how he is. But I can’t say anything for certain,” Luis Enrique simply commented at the post-match press conference.
Could he miss the second leg of the semi-final?
Although, as reported by L’Équipe, the Parisian medical staff initially thought it might be a cramp, the footage suggests a more serious injury to his hamstrings.
A physical setback which, if confirmed, could force Hakimi – who put in another top-class performance against Bayern Munich, capped by an assist – to withdraw from the second leg of the semi-final in Germany, scheduled for next Wednesday.
