Angel di Maria made his debut as a second half substitute as

champions Paris Saint-Germain maintained their perfect start to the

season with a 3-0 win at Monaco on Sunday.

Argentine Di Maria played his first 24 minutes for the Parisians

following a 63 million-euro ($68.9 million) move from Manchester United

and even set up PSG’s final goal.

But it was Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani who was the hero, notching a brace before Ezequiel Lavezzi finished off the scoring.

“I’m satisfied, overall it was a positive match,” said PSG coach Laurent Blanc.

“(Di Maria) is going to be a vital element. With Lavezzi, they have a

lot of complicity, that’s going to help Angel acclimatise.”

The win put PSG three points clear of the pack as Monaco remained in mid-table.

“We’re disappointed because our aim is always to win, but Paris were better than us,” admitted Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim.

Cavani had the best chance of the opening period a couple of minutes

before the break, but picked out by Maxwell’s inch-perfect pass, he

swiped wildly at the ball, which hit his standing leg before bobbling

wide.

Monaco’s Italian striker Stephan El Shaarawy had a sight of goal

early in the second period but shot straight at goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.

Cavani broke the deadlock on 57 minutes with a bullet header into the

top corner from Blaise Matuidi’s pinpoint cross, leaving goalkeeper

Danijel Subasic a helpless spectator.

Moments later, Matuidi blew a one-on-one chance with Subasic with a

poor first touch before the goalkeeper eventually saved his tame, low,

curling shot.

Di Maria entered the fray on 66 minutes in the place of Lucas Moura

and should have had his first assist for the club almost immediately,

but after arrowing an inch-perfect ball into the box, Cavani directed

his free header straight at Subosic.

But Cavani did not need to wait long for his second and showed a

predator’s instincts on 73 minutes as Monaco’s backline stood off Zlatan

Ibrahimovic, who slipped in the Uruguayan between full-back and

centre-back for an easy finish.

Serge Aurier squandered a great chance with a sliced shot after

bursting into the box although Cavani was in perfect position in front

of goal to complete his hat-trick. 

But seven minutes from time, substitute Lavezzi, who’d replaced

Ibrahimovic, ran onto a searing long ball from Di Maria to lash home a

thunderous volley.

Earlier on Sunday, Saint-Etienne scored

either side of half-time to defeat Bastia 2-1 at their Geoffroy-Guichard

stadium to end the Corsicans’ unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season. 

Just three days after qualifying for the Europa League group phase,

Christophe Galtier guided his side to a second win of the early domestic

season thanks to a 20th minute strike from captain Loic Perrin and then

a 62nd minute winner from on-loan Valentin Eysseric. 

Bastia had pulled level four minutes before the break through Gael

Danic but slip to sixth in the table after their first defeat in four

outings. 

Bordeaux picked up their first win of the season with a 2-0 victory over Nantes in a battle of former champions. 

Tunisian midfielder Wahbi Khazri grabbed the all-important opener

right on the stroke of half-time before 19-year-old Serbian defender

Milan Gajic wrapped up the victory with a strike three minutes from

time.  

The defeat was the first of the season for the Canaries. 

On Saturday, Lyon returned to winning ways as they rode a Nabil Fekir

hat-trick to a 4-0 thrashing away to Caen while Rennes claimed their

place in the top three with a 3-1 home victory over Toulouse. 

Reims are second on goal difference following a 4-1 dismantling of

suffering Brittany side Lorient, while Lille won for the first time

under new coach Herve Renard when they edged Ajaccio 1-0. 

On Friday, Marseille came back to earth with a thud following their

6-0 thrashing of Troyes last week in new coach Michel’s first match in

charge, but it all went wrong at Guingamp where they slumped to a 2-0

reverse.