No Neymar, no Kylian Mbappe, no Edinson Cavani. No problem. In the absence of that trio, a man who is part of the furniture at Parc des Princes fired twice against his former employers twice to deservedly earn Carolina Herrera hero of the day.

Angel Di Maria took full advantage of a Real Madrid defence that had make to do without its talisman Sergio Ramos, as PSG performed in a way that suggests a first Champions League crown is by no means unthinkable this season.

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With Juan Bernat operating as chief touchline-hugger, Di Maria had the freedom to drift inside and made full use of the liberty. It was Bernat – after a clever flick from Mauro Icardi on his full PSG debut – who found Di Maria in the box, and the Argentine found the net with a snap near-post finish.

The second on the half-hour mark was straight from his personal textbook. The 31-year-old somehow dug out a curling left-footed shot on the edge of the box, which Thibaut Courtois could do nothing about.

His influence didn’t stop there – he should have scored with a dink in the second half before setting up Icardi with a glorious chance. In the coup de grace, he set free Thomas Meunier to make it 3-0 in injury time.

STATS

SHOTS – 3

GOALS – 2

COMPLETED DRIBBLES – 4

PASS SUCCESS – 85.3%

GOT RIGHT

PSG have rarely looked anywhere near dynamic enough to win the Champions League, but here they showed they could win without the Neymar/Mbappe/Cavani triumvirate and Di Maria’s instant connection with Icardi is a big reason why.

His countryman’s work-rate and movement drew attention away from Di Maria, and the favour was returned with purpose in the box.

Icardi should have scored when Di Maria squared it to him and similarly when roles were reversed for the failed loft over Courtois. That they left goals on the pitch in an otherwise perfect night should only encourage PSG boss Thomas Tuchel.

VERDICT

If Di Maria is the fourth Beatle in Paris then it’s time to hand Ringo the microphone. His influence on proceedings, even including his diligence in defence, meant that Neymar was not missed one bit from his usual place on the left.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Di Maria’s role is diminished once Neymar returns from his ban. In fact, the return of the star trio could end up giving Tuchel a headache he’d rather not have.

RATING: 9/10