Achraf Hakimi, a defender for Paris Saint-Germain, was left in tears as he was assisted off the field after suffering an ankle injury from a reckless tackle by Bayern Munich‘s Luis Díaz during their match at the Parc des Princes on Monday.
Díaz had already netted twice for Bayern in the first half of their Champions League clash before he committed a foul on Hakimi from behind, resulting in a straight red card following a VAR review.
Bayern ultimately secured a 2-1 victory, advancing to the top of the Champions League group stage table.
Earlier in the first half, Ousmane Dembélé had to be substituted after having what appeared to be the opening goal of the match overturned by VAR due to offside, leaving Bayern with a 1-0 lead. Dembélé, showing signs of discomfort, exited the game and was replaced by Lee Kang-in, immediately heading down the tunnel toward the locker room.
PSG manager Luis Enrique commented on the situation post-match: “I don’t know, we need to wait for the tests tomorrow regarding the injuries to both players. It’s unfortunate; football is a contact sport.”
Díaz added a second goal for Bayern, extending their lead to 2-0 before his dismissal at the end of the half. Meanwhile, Hakimi, visibly distressed, left the field unable to put weight on his left leg after Díaz’s two-footed challenge.
“I hope Hakimi recovers quickly,” said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany. “We understand how difficult it is to lose a player to injury; we experienced it with [Jamal] Musiala against PSG in the Club World Cup. Injuries can occur in intensely contested matches.”
Dembélé had recently returned from a six-week layoff due to a hamstring injury sustained while playing for France in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win against Ukraine on October 20. His current status following the match remains uncertain.
Prior to the game, Coach Luis Enrique had confirmed that Dembélé was fit to play, although PSG was also missing forward Désiré Doué due to a thigh injury.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.