The opening weeks of the season have been defined by possession but with an inability to consistently create those opportunities, while making errors that conceded them to opponents. There was less of that on Tuesday evening. PSG had 11 attempts by half-time and while a soft penalty set them on their way, the chances continued in the second half.

The front three were at the heart of it, interchanging positions with ease and creating space for others. Kolo Muani had the quieter evening, his best moment stemming from a turn and drive in the first half that saw his shot from the edge of the area blocked by Nico Schlotterbeck, but Mbappe was sharp and Dembele was creative; he made six chances, the most of anyone on the field, and benefitted from the driving runs of Achraf Hakimi.

“If I were a fan of any team, I would pay to see Dembele play,” said Luis Enrique. “He has something special about him. He can miss three times, but he’s a player with magic. He may want to score his first goal, but that’s a normal process. He’s a wonderful player.”

For Didier Deschamps, the France head coach, there could hardly be a better scenario. Kolo Muani was recently favoured as the preferred deputy to France’s all-time top goalscorer, Olivier Giroud, for France’s friendly with Germany earlier this month. He is only likely to enhance his prospects as his understanding with his new team-mates improves. He already has an assist for Mbappe, secured from the bench against Nice on Friday.

“The fact they are rubbing shoulders daily in training and with matches every three, four days, it will allow them to improve their relationship, to have even more important benchmarks and automatic movements,” said Deschamps last week, “There are only positives.”

It was not just because of their attack that optimism emerged from PSG’s Champions League opener. Tactically, it seems their understanding of Luis Enrique’s demands is slowly improving. There are multiple threats; Hakimi’s inverted runs are creating shooting opportunities and that dynamic contributed to his superb goal. There is better balance, mainly brought by Manuel Ugarte with his pressing and high work rate, which has allowed Vitinha to tackle his doubters with artistry and Zaire-Emery to stake a first-team claim.

Small things too are noticeable and reflect a mood change. Even just a simple team dynamic — when Dembele was chopped down by Schlotterbeck in the second half, his team-mates surged over to confront the Dortmund man. Marquinhos ended up bundling him over.

This was by no means a complete performance. Dortmund did not fashion high-quality chances and did not hit the target, but they still had 14 attempts. PSG were aided by a soft penalty and their domestic issues of stumbling over low blocks were not so apparent against a team more willing to press.

More broadly, there is still a reliance on Mbappe, who has scored eight of their 12 goals so far this season. Replacing the goals and assists lost from Messi and Neymar’s exits was not going to be easy, and they will need others to step up. Only Marco Asensio and Hakimi (two goals each) have also scored in PSG’s first six games.

But the sense of progress is inescapable. PSG look like a football team now, in stark contrast to the nadir of the 2022-23 run-in. The supporters, who were disillusioned with the club just months ago, are cautiously embracing change. At full-time, the PSG squad went over to celebrate with the ultras in the Virage Auteuil stand who had applauded them on Friday despite defeat against Nice. This is a far cry from the booing during PSG’s title celebrations.

It is far too early to draw concrete conclusions, particularly with 12 new signings to integrate. But victory over Dortmund was a big step forward for PSG’s new project, and a blueprint to build upon.

(Top photo: Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images)