Hakimi Regrets Lens' Bollaert Hosting Champions Trophy Match

Following PSG's 1-0 defeat to Lens in the Champions Trophy on Sunday, Achraf Hakimi stated that the match should have been held at a neutral venue. This sentiment was echoed by PSG's ultras, who boycotted the event at Bollaert in protest.

After winning the Coupe de France last spring, RC Lens secured another title by defeating PSG 1-0 in the Champions Trophy at Bollaert. The home side secured the victory with a goal from Florian Thauvin, despite Kyllian Antonio's red card late in the first half for a foul on Maghnes Akliouche.

Although some PSG supporters were present, the curtain-raising fixture took place without the members of the Collectif Ultras Paris. The usual attendees from Auteuil decided to boycott the trip to the North to protest the decision to hold the match at RC Lens' stadium, following a draw conducted by the Professional Football League in early June. Achraf Hakimi shared their dissatisfaction after the game, believing the Champions Trophy should have been played on neutral ground, as is customary.

'We Should Have Played Under the Same Conditions'

'We did everything to win, we created chances, we controlled the entire match. Then, there are situations we can't control, like playing on a non-neutral pitch, without our fans,' the Moroccan full-back told Ligue 1+. 'It's a final, so I think we should have played under the same conditions, but that didn't happen. It's not an excuse. We did everything to win, unfortunately, we didn't score.'

'We've already played many finals on neutral grounds, with half the stadium for our fans and the other half for the opposing fans,' Hakimi continued. 'Today, it felt more like a Ligue 1 match, given we were playing away. If we want to continue growing our league, these are things we need to consider. But as I said, it's not an excuse, even if it helped them a little. We will continue to work for what's next. We're trying to regain form, even though some players haven't had much training. Our training sessions are the matches. At this point in the season, we're trying to recover well. We will continue to be ready.'