Hakimi's hat trick leads PSG's rout over Le Havre. Elversberg continues strong run in Bundesliga
LILLE, France (AP) — Right-back Achraf Hakimi scored a hat trick and added two assists as Paris Saint-Germain earned a sixth straight league win with a 5-1 victory over Le Havre on Friday.
Elye Wahi also netted a hat trick in a 5-2 win for Nice over Rennes, while Olivier Giroud's late winner gave second-place Lille a 1-0 victory over Lens.
In Spain, struggling Espanyol beat Villarreal 1-0 with a goal from captain Leandro Cabrera, while Bundesliga newcomer Elversberg continued its impressive start by scoring three goals in a commanding first half on its way to a 4-1 win over Mainz that lifts it into the top five.
Josh Maja’s third goal in two games put Le Havre ahead in the 18th minute but PSG struck back with two quick goals from Mika Godts and Hakimi to take a 2-1 halftime lead.
Hakimi extended the lead by curling home a free kick in the 55th and and then set up Senny Mayulu for the fourth before completing his hat trick in the 69th — raising three fingers to the camera as he celebrated — as PSG extended its winning streak to nine games in all competitions.
PSG has 20 points, two ahead of Lille and and four clear of Rennes.
In Nice, Wahi converted two penalties in the 12th and 34th minutes, either side of Sebastian Szymanski's equalizer.
Jonathan Clauss took a pass from Wahi and added a third for Nice in first-half stoppage time and Mohamed Amoura made it 4-1 early in the second half.
Boulaye Dia’s penalty brought Rennes back into contention after 58 minutes but Wahi’s third capped a superb night for the Ivory Coast international.
The 23-year-old forward, who is on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt, now has five goals and two assists in his last three games for Nice, which climbed into seventh.
In Lille, Giroud replaced Ethan Mbappe with 17 minutes remaining and the veteran striker followed up on the rebound in the 86th to net the winner after goalkeeper Robin Risser had spilled Nabil Bentaleb’s long-range shot.
Elversberg’s previous three games featured 13 goals and the Saarland side started in the same vein, scoring three without reply in a scintillating first half.
Felix Keidel curled a free kick around the Mainz wall to put the home side ahead in the seventh minute and then Francis Onyeka held off the attentions of the Mainz defense to fire home a second after 26 minutes. Bayern Munich loanee Maurice Krattenmacher made it 3-0 on the stroke of halftime.
United States international Cole Campbell made it 4-0 with a volley in stoppage time before Benedict Hollerbach scored a consolation for Mainz, which had Stefan Posch sent off at the end.
The results lifts Elversberg into fifth spot with 13 points, the same as Freiberg and Bayer Leverkusen, who are above it on goal difference and have a game in hand.
Mainz fell one place to eighth.
Uruguayan Cabrera scored after an hour to give Sergio García a memorable night as interim coach.
Garcia replaced Manolo González this week after Espanyol was knocked out of the Copa del Rey by fourth-tier side Sestao but his replacement Eder Sarabia missed Friday's match through suspension.
Cabrera scored the winner by smacking home a low cross from the left on the hour mark.
It was only Espanyol's third win of the season and lifted it six places into 12th. Villarreal is in 10th.
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