Quicksilver Di María has Paris purring

Three minutes and 49 seconds: that was all the time it took for Ángel Di María to find the net against Malmö and show exactly why Paris Saint-Germain were so keen to slot the Argentinian into their forward line this summer.

Paris had hoped to bring Di María on board in 2014 only for financial fair play regulations to prevent the deal, but they finally got their man for around €63m in August – and how he impressed on his UEFA Champions League debut for the club.

Man of the match for Real Madrid in the 2014 final, he returned to the competition after a year out and struck the very first goal of this season's group stage, running onto a superb Marco Verratti pass and opening his body to send the ball high into the far corner with his left foot.

It was a finish of searing quality, especially for a player who had only made his first start for Paris in Friday's 2-2 draw with Bordeaux. This was meant to be Zlatan Ibrahimović's night, the Swedish No10 shaking off abdominal pain to face his former side, but Di María stole the headlines with a performance that promises much.

Not that he was averse to Ibrahimović sharing the glory. On the contrary, Di María twice conjured up delicious balls for his fellow forward in the opening half. Desperate to leave his mark, or still suffering pain in his ribs, Ibrahimović was not sharp enough to take advantage in a game where little went his way.

"[Di María] makes things happen – he makes runs without the ball and he's very comfortable on the ball as well," Blaise Matuidi told UEFA.com after the 2-0 victory, sealed by Edinson Cavani's 61st-minute header. "He's explosive and we're very happy to have a player like him in our team."

Of course, Malmö are no UEFA Champions League heavyweights, and the 27-year-old also made a convincing start to his single season at Manchester United, but he brought a vision and precision to Paris's link-up play – and clear end product – that the likes of Lucas and Ezequiel Lavezzi have only produced in patches.

The move looks to be suiting the player as well, and he spoke earlier this week of finding life difficult in Manchester last term, with neither he nor his family able to settle and relations strained with Louis van Gaal.

Now enjoying a city closer in ambience to Madrid or Lisbon, where he previously excelled with Benfica, Di María has been helped to acclimatise by his compatriot and old friend Lavezzi. More importantly, perhaps, his two starts have come on the right flank, his preferred position and where he was typically employed by Madrid.

Having put him back in his favourite place, Laurent Blanc is now hoping the goals continue to flow. "He's a lad who brings us real quality in his passing, but I think he can score a lot as well," said the Paris coach. "He's told me he hasn't often scored much over the course of a season, but he's capable of doing it."

If Blanc is right, the French champions could be ready for their most serious tilt at the UEFA Champions League since they returned to Europe's top table in 2012/13.