Josh Maja scored his fourth Ligue 1 goal of the season, but his early strike could not save Le Havre from a heavy 5-1 home defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Friday.
The Nigerian striker opened the scoring at the Stade Océane before Achraf Hakimi’s hat-trick powered the visitors to a commanding comeback victory in the opening match of the ninth round.
Maja gave Le Havre the lead in the 18th minute, finishing from close range after Rayan Fofana broke down the left and delivered a cross towards the far post.
It was another encouraging moment for the forward, who had scored twice in Le Havre’s 4-3 defeat at Marseille five days earlier. His latest finish took him to three goals across his last two league matches.
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Le Havre’s advantage, however, lasted just eight minutes.
Mika Godts equalised in the 26th minute after being set up by Hakimi, and the Moroccan defender completed the turnaround two minutes later, beating goalkeeper Arnaud Bodart following a pass from Senny Mayulu.
Those two quick goals left Didier Digard’s side trailing 2-1 at the interval after an opening period in which Maja had briefly raised hopes of an upset.
PSG tightened their grip after the restart, with Hakimi scoring again in the 55th minute to establish a two-goal cushion.
Maja came close to giving Le Havre a route back into the contest when his header struck the post in the 61st minute. Instead, the hosts conceded again almost immediately.
Mayulu made it 4-1 in the 62nd minute, taking advantage of Bodart’s advance from his goal to finish into an unguarded net.
Hakimi completed his hat-trick seven minutes later after combining with Godts, putting the result beyond Le Havre’s reach.
For Maja, the evening brought another goal against leading opposition but no reward in the standings. His scoring contribution has now extended across successive matches, while Le Havre’s search for their first league victory continues.
The defeat leaves the hosts bottom with two points from nine matches. PSG moved to 20 points, strengthening their position at the top.
Luis Enrique’s side will next turn their attention to Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Villarreal, while Le Havre must address the defensive problems that have undermined Maja’s recent goals.
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