Les Parisiens get their European campaign going!

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Paris Saint-Germain secured a victory over Istanbul Basaksehir on Matchday 2 of the Champions League Group Stage (0-2). A look back on the encounter!

Paris Saint-Germain were back in action in the prestigious Champions League with an away trip to Istanbul to face Basaksehir. Thomas Tuchel set up his side in a 4-4-2 with Moise Kean playing alongside Kylian Mbappé up-front, flanked by Neymar Jr and Angel Di Maria.

From the very get go, the runners-up from the last edition of the competition understood that they would need to find solutions against a physical opponent. Thomas Tuchel's team were full of focus and were put to work in the first fifteen minutes by a highly motivated side. Forced to do without Neymar Jr - who left the field injured and was replaced by Pablo Sarabia - Les Parisiens set about looking to change the shape of the game. Angel Di Maria (17', 32'), Alessandro Florenzi (18'), Ander Herrera (29') and Kylian Mbappé (38') all tried their luck, but couldn't find the breakthrough. 

The trend continued after the break. The men from the capital were more incisive and Kylian Mbappé and his teammates continued to create chances to try to break down the Turkish defence, with Pablo Sarabia missing the target after a ball in from the World Champion (46'). The lines were stretched and the two sides went toe-to-toe. After several chances for Basaksehir, Angel Di Maria was just a foot away from getting on the end of a Kylian Mbappé gem (57').

But it would be from a set-piece situation that Thomas Tuchel's side would find the opener. From a quick corner taken by Kylian Mbappé, Moise Kean buried an unstoppable header into the back of the net to open the scoring (0-1, 64'). The Italian international made the most of the opportunity to open his tally in Europe for Paris Saint-Germain. And the cherry on the cake? He secured another brace after his smart turn and shot concluded a rapid move (0-2, 79').

At the other end of the pitch, Les Rouge et Bleu were able to rely on the impeccable Keylor Navas to snuff out any chances for the home side. Helped out by the Costa Rican and a focused back four that never let up, like the ever-present Layvin Kurzawa on his left wing, Les Parisiens maintained their lead until the final whistle.

They will be back in domestic action on Saturday, when they travel to Nantes, before facing RB Leipzig in the Champions League in a week's time.