One To Watch
Ahmed Hassan: Le Havre’s Midseason Addition Finding Form at the Right Moment
Hassan arrived midseason during the winter transfer window as the veteran goal-scorer came from the Portuguese side Rio Ave. The 32-year-old was a reinforcement to help Le Havre avoid falling to Ligue 2 BKT for next season, and he's doing his part.
After going five straight matches without a goal contribution, the forward is beginning to hit into form at a crucial time for the squad with nine points left to grab.
In Hassan's last two fixtures against Paris Saint-Germain and AS Monaco, he's recorded two goal contributions. He recorded an assist against PSG, which Le Havre fell short of securing a draw, losing 2-1, and against Monaco, the Eygpt native scored a goal as the two sides leveled one-all.
Le Club Doyen have benefitted from Hassan's three goals in 14 appearances since his arrival as they haven't lost when he scores with two wins and one draw.
Despite the three goals, goalkeeping coach Nicolas Douchez believes that the goal against Monaco will allow his striker to gain the confidence he needs to end the 2024-25 campaign on a positive note.
"He’s wanted to score more ever since he arrived. Scoring the opener at home did him good. I hope it gives him confidence going forward—we need it. He’s capable of playing with his back to goal, he likes to hold the ball up and switch play. But what matters most to us is that he’s in the right place in front of goal, which he was [on Saturday].”
Every match is vital for Le Havre in its fight to avoid direct relegation as they're one point above AS Saint-Étienne and two points behind Angers SCO to avoid the playoff relegation tie.
With the margin for error being slim, the pressure is on each player to step up and handle the challenge. The final three matches against AJ Auxerre, RC Strasbourg, and Olympique de Marseille are also tough, but as they showed against Monaco, if Hassan can produce, the squad can pull out a positive result.
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