With a brace and an assist against Niger (5-1), Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi becomes the first player to reach 20 assists for his national team in the 21st century. Spanish newspaper AS calls him “the best full-back in the world”.
On Friday 13 November, at the Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca, Morocco dominated Niger (5-1) on matchday 3 of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers. At the heart of the evening, right-back and captain Achraf Hakimi scored twice in the 27th and 45th+3 minutes, before providing an assist for striker Youssef En-Nesyri (77th), according to Goal.com.
At Paris Saint-Germain, where he plays, the performance was picked up in Spain. According to Hespress, the newspaper AS ran the headline “There is no one else like Achraf” and called him “the best full-back in the world”. This is the newspaper’s assessment, not an official award.
A 21st-century record
With that pass to En-Nesyri, Hakimi becomes the first player to reach 20 assists for Morocco in the 21st century, according to Goal.com. With 104 caps, he is now just eleven appearances short of Noureddine Naybet (115), according to the same outlet.
His attacking output is also notable over time. He has been involved in 9 goals in his last 5 matches, for club and country combined (5 goals, 4 assists), according to Goal.com. In his last 18 starts for the national team, he has been involved in 13 goals (4 goals, 9 assists), according to Le360 Sport. AS also wrote: “Achraf is the one in charge.”
A complete performance
Beyond his direct contributions, Hakimi had 5 shots, all on target, 90 touches of the ball, 64 passes of which 59 were successful, 3 successful dribbles and 8 ground duels won out of 9, according to Le360 Sport, via dongqiudi.
Two weeks earlier, against Le Havre (5-1), he had already been involved in all five of PSG’s goals, with 3 goals and 2 assists, according to dongqiudi.
A run and a return to Rabat
The win over Niger also has a collective dimension: it is Morocco’s 16th consecutive home victory in AFCON and World Cup qualifiers, according to Goal.com. Morocco lead Group A with 9 points after three wins in three matches, according to Le Phocéen.
The return match is scheduled for Tuesday 17 November at 21:00, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, according to Football Club de Marseille.