Football
Jonathan Johnson, PSG correspondent 7y

Paris Saint-Germain teammates hail Julian Draxler after dream debut

New signing Julian Draxler has made an immediate impression for Paris Saint-Germain after scoring on his home competitive debut in the emphatic 7-0 Coupe de France win over SC Bastia on Saturday.

The Germany international came on as a second-half substitute and scored the final goal in the dying moments, something that delighted coach Unai Emery and his new teammates.

"Julian played well," the Spanish tactician told journalists in his post-match news conference at the Parc des Princes. "It is important he scored on his debut. That will give him confidence."

Veteran PSG midfielder Thiago Motta scored his team's fourth goal with a diving header and has been impressed by Draxler on and off the pitch.

The Italy international is in no doubt that the 23-year-old adds a new dimension to Les Parisiens' game.

"Julian? He has fit in well," Motta said in the mixed zone. "He is a very nice guy. He has joined a team with heightened ambitions.

"He is also naturally ambitious and wants to play in the biggest matches. I am sure he will help us raise our game."

Fellow German Kevin Trapp kept a clean sheet in goal and was pleased for his friend and teammate to strike early in his PSG career.

"Julian is happy to be here and scored a beautiful goal," said Trapp. "He already feels comfortable and that is important for him."

Young midfielder Adrien Rabiot made his first competitive appearance in months as he stepped up his recovery from a thigh injury.

The France international scored PSG's second with a thunderous effort from distance and emphasised that Draxler has bedded in well.

"Julian has settled in well," the PSG youth academy graduate acknowledged. "We have already seen that he brings something on the pitch."

After some poor results towards the end of 2016, Emery was glad normal service had resumed to start the New Year and believes his team played more like their old selves while dismantling Bastia.

"Today, I believe everything was good in our start to 2017," the Basque said. "The team played as it has for most of the past year, with patience in opening up the opponent's defence.

"It is important to build a strong team at home but our next objective is to do that away too."

Trapp admitted he and his teammates could not have wished for a much better result and hopes this is a warning shot for PSG's domestic and European rivals.

"We wanted to start the year with a win and we did," said the German goalkeeper. "I think this 7-0 victory is a strong message.

"Even when we went 3-0 up, we did not take our foot off the gas. We have a lot of matches to come in these next few weeks. This win will give us a confidence boost."

Next up for PSG are FC Metz in the Coupe de la Ligue quarterfinals before two consecutive away matches in Ligue 1 in Rennes and Nantes.

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