Paris Saint-Germain booked their place in the Club World Cup semi-finals with a dramatic 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich on Saturday, thanks to goals from Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé in a high-stakes clash in Atlanta.
Despite ending the game with nine men after late red cards for Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez, the European champions managed to see off the Bundesliga titleholders at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in what was the tournament’s most anticipated encounter so far.
The match began with a poignant minute’s silence in memory of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who tragically lost their lives in a car crash on Thursday. The moment held extra significance for PSG, with five Portuguese players in their ranks, including starters Vitinha, João Neves, and Nuno Mendes.
Luis Enrique left star forward Ousmane Dembélé on the bench as he continues to recover from a quadriceps injury, while Bayern were boosted by the return of Jamal Musiala from a calf issue. The match lived up to the pre-game billing of a “perfect storm,” as described by Bayern boss Vincent Kompany, featuring two attacking, high-pressing sides and a crowd of nearly 67,000.
The first half was an end-to-end battle. PSG’s Doué fired wide early, while Gianluigi Donnarumma made key saves from Michael Olise and Aleksandar Pavlović. On the other end, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia tested Manuel Neuer with a close-range effort, and England captain Harry Kane went close with a header.
Just before halftime, Bayern suffered a major blow when Musiala went down awkwardly after a challenge from Donnarumma, sustaining a serious ankle injury. The incident left both teams visibly shaken, with the Italian goalkeeper clearly distraught.
Bayern had a goal ruled out in stoppage time when Dayot Upamecano’s header from Olise’s free-kick was chalked off for offside.
In the second half, Neuer produced a vintage save to deny Bradley Barcola one-on-one, while Dembélé was introduced with 20 minutes left as PSG sought a winner. The winger nearly capitalized on a Neuer error but missed the open net by inches.
The breakthrough finally came in the 77th minute. After Kane lost possession, PSG surged forward and Doué found space on the edge of the box, drilling a low shot past Neuer at the near post to make it 1-0.
The final minutes descended into chaos. PSG were reduced to ten men after Pacho saw red for a reckless challenge on Leon Goretzka. Kane thought he had equalized with a header, but again it was ruled out for offside. Moments later, Hernandez was sent off for an elbow, leaving PSG with nine players.
Bayern pushed for a late equaliser, but PSG held firm and sealed the win deep into stoppage time. Hakimi broke through on the counter and set up Dembélé, who finished coolly and paid tribute to the late Diogo Jota with a video game-inspired celebration.
PSG now move on to face the winner of Real Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals on Wednesday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
