Paris Saint-Germain secured a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich to book a place in the Club World Cup semi-finals, in a match overshadowed by a serious injury to Bayern’s Jamal Musiala and two red cards for the French champions.
Desire Doue, the hero of PSG’s Champions League final win over Inter Milan, broke the deadlock in the 78th minute with a precise low strike into the corner. Despite being reduced to nine men following the dismissals of Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez, Ousmane Dembele sealed the win with a stoppage-time goal, setting up a semi-final clash with Real Madrid, who defeated Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in New Jersey on Saturday.
The first half, played in Atlanta, ended goalless but was marked by a distressing injury to Musiala. Making his first start of the tournament after recovering from a previous knock, the German midfielder was injured after a collision with PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma while chasing a loose ball. Musiala limped off clutching his ankle, while Donnarumma appeared visibly shaken by the incident.
Earlier, Dayot Upamecano had a goal ruled out for offside for Bayern, while Manuel Neuer produced a brilliant save to deny PSG’s Bradley Barcola early in the second half.
Just minutes after Doue’s opener, PSG went down to 10 men when Pacho received a straight red card for a reckless tackle on Leon Goretzka. In added time, Hernandez was also sent off after catching Raphael Guerreiro with an elbow.
Bayern had further frustration when Harry Kane’s goal was ruled offside, and a late penalty awarded for a high boot on Thomas Muller was overturned after referee Anthony Taylor reviewed the incident on the VAR monitor.
The match also marked the end of an era for Bayern legend Thomas Muller. The 35-year-old forward came on as a late substitute, making his final appearance for the club after a glittering 17-year career filled with domestic and international success.
