Hakimi's PSG Cruise Past Atletico in Club World Cup Opener
Achraf Hakimi quietly stole the show as Paris Saint-Germain kicked off their FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a commanding 4–0 win over Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
The Moroccan full-back didn't get on the scoresheet, but his influence was all over the pitch. Hakimi was calm, composed, and constantly pushing forward, giving Atletico all sorts of problems down the right. His runs opened up space for PSG's midfielders to do the damage – and they certainly did.
Fabian Ruiz got things going with a low strike into the bottom corner before Vitinha added a second just before half-time, calmly finishing off a brilliant counter-attack that started with Donnarumma.
The second half was just as one-sided. Atletico went down to ten men when Clément Lenglet picked up a second yellow for dissent, and from there, Hakimi's teammates didn't let up.
Senny Mayulu came off the bench and made it three, before Lee Kang-in wrapped it up with a penalty in stoppage time after a VAR check for handball.
It was a convincing win from a team that's been flying since the turn of the year – PSG have scored over 100 goals in all competitions since January.
One thing that couldn't be ignored was the heat. With a midday kick-off and temperatures hitting 31°C, players were clearly feeling it. Cooling breaks were needed in both halves, and several looked completely drained by full-time. Even Vitinha, named man of the match, called the conditions 'difficult,' and Luis Enrique admitted it definitely affected the game.
Meanwhile… Bayern go goal crazy
Earlier in the day, Bayern Munich ran riot in Cincinnati, hammering Auckland City 10–0. Jamal Musiala came off the bench and bagged a hat-trick, while Thomas Müller, Kingsley Coman, and Michael Olise all scored twice.
It was total domination from start to finish. Auckland, a semi-pro side, simply couldn't cope. Forward Angus Kilkolly summed it up best: 'We tried our very hardest to keep them out, but the goals just kept coming.' Tags: Achraf HakimiAtletico MadridPSG
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