PARIS: Striker Kylian Mbappé continued his scoring spree and right-back Achraf Hakimi also found the net as Paris Saint-Germain opened its Champions League campaign with a 2-0 home win against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.
Mbappé's penalty put PSG ahead in the 49th minute following a video review. Referee Jesús Gil Manzano stuck to his decision and ruled that defender Niklas Süle handled the ball from Mbappé's shot.
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Back with a bang 💥#UCL pic.twitter.com/smoNK36PMx
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 19, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">Back with a bang 💥#UCL pic.twitter.com/smoNK36PMx
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 19, 2023Back with a bang 💥#UCL pic.twitter.com/smoNK36PMx
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 19, 2023
The France striker stroked the ball into the bottom left corner and just out of the reach of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel for his eighth goal in five games this season. It extended his club-record tally to 220 goals in 265 games. Nine minutes later, Kobel was beaten from close range when Hakimi swapped passes with midfielder Vitinha and cut inside a defender before curling the ball into the bottom left corner with the outside of his right foot.
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A perfect start in the @ChampionsLeague! ✔️🔴🔵#UCL | #PSGBVB pic.twitter.com/NUKnmPHJQ8
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) September 19, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">A perfect start in the @ChampionsLeague! ✔️🔴🔵#UCL | #PSGBVB pic.twitter.com/NUKnmPHJQ8
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) September 19, 2023A perfect start in the @ChampionsLeague! ✔️🔴🔵#UCL | #PSGBVB pic.twitter.com/NUKnmPHJQ8
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) September 19, 2023
"It’s a very important game for us, we've started the competition well," said the 23-year-old Portugal international Vitinha, who is in his second season with PSG. “It's important for me as well. I want to help the team even more in the upcoming matches.” In the other Group F game, seven-time European champion AC Milan wasted chances in a 0-0 draw with Newcastle.
PSG, which has never won the competition, played last season with superstar Lionel Messi and Neymar in attack, yet went out in the last 16 for the second straight season. That led to coach Christophe Galtier's dismissal and the hiring of former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique.“We needed to do better in the last 15 minutes of the match, but otherwise it's pretty much a perfect night,” Luis Enrique said.