It had been a long time since Paris Saint-Germain had experienced such a nightmarish Champions League evening . Top of the table at the start of the clash against Bayern Munich, the Parisians were completely outclassed by the Bavarians (1-2) . And if Luis Enrique's men reacted in the second half, it was mainly because the reigning German champions were playing with ten men after Luis Diaz was sent off.
The Colombian was indeed the main culprit in Paris's nightmare in just 45 minutes . The former Liverpool player bagged a brace before seriously injuring Achraf Hakimi's ankle just before halftime. And while some less-than-classy Bayern players are still wondering how the referee could have sent off their teammate , the Moroccan was well aware of his predicament. Leaving the pitch in tears, Hakimi knew he risked a long spell on the sidelines.
Paris without sidelines
In the first few minutes after the match, the media were already reporting a severe ankle sprain and an expected absence of three to five weeks for a player seen leaving the Parc des Princes with a large boot and crutches. Today, the suspense is over: PSG has just announced the nature of their defender's injury. And unsurprisingly, it's bad news. "Achraf Hakimi has suffered a severe sprain of his left ankle, which will keep him out for several weeks. Ousmane Dembélé has a left calf injury. He will remain in treatment for the next few weeks. Nuno Mendes has a sprain of his left knee. He will remain in treatment for the next few weeks. Désiré Doué is continuing his rehabilitation. A further update will be provided after the international break ," the statement reads.
This is a huge blow for Luis Enrique, who loses one of his most loyal lieutenants and a key player in his attacking play. The Spaniard will now have to improvise for the upcoming Ligue 1 and Champions League matches. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Warren Zaïre-Emery and Senny Mauylu are likely to step in as replacements on the right flank. The statement also specifies that Dembélé has not suffered a hamstring injury and is instead suffering from a calf strain. He will inevitably be unavailable for the next French national team camp. Finally, the last piece of bad news concerns Nuno Mendes. After the match, the Portuguese player did not appear to be among those injured, but he will ultimately be sidelined for some time. Paris has therefore lost two key attacking players (Doué, Dembélé) and two of its defensive stalwarts (Hakimi, Mendes). On Sunday evening, a severely weakened team will therefore face OL .
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