Injured in the right thigh at Brest on 13 September, the Moroccan right-back returned to competitive action against Lesotho on Tuesday. He will get one more game to build up his match fitness before heading back to Paris.
PSG can breathe a sigh of relief. Achraf Hakimi played for Morocco on Tuesday, 29 September. Left on the bench at kick-off by Mohamed Ouahbi in Bloemfontein, the Atlas Lions captain came on in the 69th minute of the 2-0 win over Lesotho, replacing the injured Noussair Mazraoui. It gave him around twenty minutes to get back up to speed, sixteen days after his setback.
An injury that cost him just one club game
A starter in every PSG match since the beginning of the season, Hakimi had to leave the pitch at Brest after only 39 minutes on 13 September (Ligue 1 matchday four). The following day, the Paris club announced a « slight lesion to the right thigh » in its medical update.
After several days of treatment, he returned to individual work on the pitch. As a precaution, he sat out PSG’s 2-1 win at Marseille on 20 September. In the end, he missed just one match for the capital club.
Called up by Mohamed Ouahbi regardless, Hakimi was unable to play in the 2-0 win over Gabon in Rabat on 25 September because of a suspension. Lesotho therefore gave him his first outing since Brest.
Mali replace Ghana
The 27-year-old will get another chance to step up his recovery. With Ghana pulling out of the friendly originally scheduled for 4 October in Tangier, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation announced that the Atlas Lions will instead face Mali at the Grand Stade de Tanger.
For Luis Enrique, the priority is clear: getting Hakimi back fully fit for the restart without rushing him. As for Morocco, they have taken maximum points from their first two qualifiers and sit comfortably top of Group A with six points.