Maghnes Akliouche’s first Paris goal arrived with a sense of release on Saturday night, as the former Monaco midfielder helped Paris beat Le Mans 3-1 in the sixth round of the Ligue 1 season.
The move
Akliouche, a new arrival in the Paris squad after his time at Monaco, said scoring in front of the home support made the occasion particularly meaningful.
“I am very happy to have helped the team and to score my first goal in front of the supporters. It is special,” he said.
The young Frenchman stressed that his priority since the start of the campaign has been contributing to the collective, rather than chasing an individual landmark.
“I have tried to help the team from the beginning of the season. That is all I have in my mind, and this time it came through a goal.”
He also described the strike as a potential turning point for a player settling into a new environment. “When a new player scores, it feels good. It can only be positive for me.”
The French season around it
Paris returned from the international break with three points, but Akliouche acknowledged that Le Mans had presented a difficult fixture despite the final scoreline.
“It is never easy, especially after the break. We knew it could be a trap, so we tried to take it very seriously,” he said.
The win came amid a demanding run of matches for Paris, with the schedule already tightening early in the season.
- Maghnes Akliouche — Paris midfielder and scorer of his first goal for the club
- Paris — 3-1 winners against Le Mans in Ligue 1’s sixth round
- Le Mans — Paris’s opponents following the international break
- Monaco — Akliouche’s former club
Paris now turn quickly towards Wednesday’s meeting with Manchester City. Akliouche called City “a very good team” and said Paris would first recover, then study their upcoming opponents before the match.
