A group of veteran strikers and midfielders drew all the attention in the week leading up to the International Champions Cup draw between Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.
But it was 23-year old right back Serge Aurier who stole the show at Autzen Stadium on Sunday in front of a crowd of 24,147.
Aurier, an Ivorian international who has been with PSG for two years, bagged two goals and led the Red and Blue to a convincing 3-1 victory in their first match of the tournament.
In the 14th minute, PSG forward Hatem Ben Arfa sent a bending free kick towards the Inter Milan goal that was shoved away by Inter keeper Samir Handanović. Handanović made the save without much trouble, but pushed the ball right to the foot of Aurier, who blasted the ball into an empty net to give PSG a 1-0 lead.
In stoppage time of the first half, Inter leveled the score when Stevan Jovetic converted a penalty kick after Lucas Moura was called for a hand ball in the penalty area.
In the second half, however, Aurier gave the Autzen fans an encore as he constantly ran up and down the right flank, often unmarked, and cut holes in the Inter defense. PSG took the lead once again in the 61st minute when Layvin Kurzawa scored on a stunning free kick from 25 yards out.
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In the 75th minute, PSG star strike Edinson Cavani entered the game and found himself with the ball at his feet just a few moments later. Cavani received a pass in the box and as he pivoted to his left side, curled a shot near the left post to try to beat Handanović as he rushed out but missed wide left.
In the 87th minute, with Inter still reeling, Aurier put the finishing touch on the match when he netted a soaring header on a cross from Alec Georgen to make the score 3-1.
“It was a great game,” Inter Milan defender Davide Santon said. “Paris Saint-Germain is a really strong team. They played champions league this year and you can see a little bit of the difference between the two teams.”
PSG won the match despite not starting star winger Angel Di Maria or Cavani, their top striker. Both entered the match late, but the score was already decided by the time Di Maria saw the pitch.
PSG will play its second match of the tournament on July 27 when it faces Real Madrid in Columbus, Ohio. Inter Milan will matchup with FC Bayern Munich on July 30.
Follow Jarrid on Twitter @jarrid_denney